


Somebody that I Used to Know

by PippinPips



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Charles is kind of a dick, Erik has feels, Established Relationship, M/M, Spies, so is Erik
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-06
Updated: 2013-02-06
Packaged: 2017-11-04 01:11:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 88,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/388009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PippinPips/pseuds/PippinPips
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years ago Erik lost his partner and lover, Charles, when the Agency burned him. He kept up the hope that Charles was still alive for a while until he no longer could, but then he found himself burned as well--all he wants now is to survive and hopefully find out who exactly was responsible for his burning and if they were also responsible for what happened to Charles. He manages to acquire the help of some old acquaintances, but he isn't alone. There is someone watching over him and handing him out hints, but there seems to be another force that has him leaping through an obstacle course. In the end he finds that his past is coming back to life around him and things are still very much affected by what happened five years ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Misery Loves Company, Company Love More, More Loves Everybody Else, But Hell is Others

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to **Chosefire** for being my brilliant artist. To **Pangea** for being my beta reader and fixing all of my mistakes, she is wonderful. To **Campfiretreat** for editing what she could even though her life was hectic. Thank you to **Wall** for being the person to rub my figurative shoulders and tell me that it would all be okay. 
> 
> Actually thanks to everyone in the chat, you are all sweethearts!

When Erik woke up, his face was pressed against starch white sheets that smelt like lilacs and his body felt like he’d been pushed through a meat grinder, twice. His head pounded with the biggest tension headache he’d felt since Bolivia. Plus, to make it even better, Erik was quite sure his last conscious memory was that of being chased down when his mission had strangely gone very sour.

“You’re awake then?” a painfully familiar voice prodded, one that Erik had never wanted to hear, not after he’d botched the mission in some European country. Alex Summers had been a pain in his ass during the mission, the sort of pain that had grown on Erik and burrowed under his skin like a tick, but when he’d hightailed it out of the area he’d hurt Alex, maybe more than he could explain. “Because, if you are then you can get your lying ass out of my place,” Alex snapped. Erik sucked in a breath, drawing in more lilac scents before he let out a huff.

“Get a little fruity with your purchases over the years, Alex?” Erik asked. On a normal day, even on a less than normal day Erik could take Alex without breaking sweat, but he was a little off his game and a little more than confused as to where exactly he was.

“No, asshole, Raven did my laundry,” Alex growled. Erik was pretty sure that the blonde man had absolutely no idea how much damaged he’d done by merely mentioning Raven. He rubbed at his eyes trying to get rid of the memory that linked to brilliant, sly blue eyes and a cocky smirk. Erik sat up and pressed his palm against his forehead. He didn’t have to ask Alex where he was, Charles’ baby sister only live in one place since his death five years ago: Miami.

 

*

 

 

Erik remembered the wet heat of Miami well; he could almost picture the way Charles had looked with his floppy hair curling over his ears from the humidity. He could also picture the wide smile and the words, _isn't this fantastic_ hanging in the air as Charles wandered through the streets. Once upon a time, he'd been asked what it felt like to live with a ghost. Originally, he had replied that he didn't live with one, but as time went on Erik couldn't imagine living without the memory of Charles by his side.

Yet, as he walked outside of the apartment the pressing heat soaked through his clothes and blew all of his memories of it to pieces. Alex followed after him, but stayed firmly behind him; his eyes hooded in distrust. He knew Alex was just making sure he actually left and that he didn't take anything along the way.

“How did I get here anyway?” Erik asked. His memory felt fuzzy, and everything between his last mission to getting to Miami felt like a black hole.

“I don’t fucking know. I just found you on my doorstep half-awake and muttering shit,” Alex growled at him. Erik stopped and stood very still as the words crashed over him.

“And you took me in?” Erik posed the question. Still a few steps behind him, Alex snorted.

“Yeah, unlike you I’m not a heartless bastard. Go figure,” he answered. Erik didn’t flinch; he was too used to the insult to care about it. Plus, bright blue eyes and a wicked smile told him that once he‘d had one. But, when he felt the phantom clench of his chest, Erik shook away those thoughts. For most, five years was long enough to at least function without shades of the past stopping the machine or for the throaty laughs that ring in ears to finally subside.

He must have stayed too still for too long because Alex moved from his position behind Erik to his side, and his blue eyes were tinged with worry behind the cloud of rage. Erik smirked, Alex was right, despite everything that had happened to him, he was still the better man.

Erik shrugged away from Alex, intent on finding at least one internet café; he needed answers for what happened exactly and not pity. “Erik!” Alex yelled at him, “come back to get your shit out of my place! Okay?” A few eyes turned to them curious to see what the exchange was about or what it meant.

“Alright,” Erik replied. He didn’t have anything to leave at Alex’, but the message was received loud and clear. He walked away heading in whatever direction that got him farther away from Alex and his memories of the botched mission.

 

_Well, let’s go see what kind of problems I got myself into, eh Charles?_ He mentally asked the phantom in his mind. He didn’t see the figure of his dead boyfriend, but the memory of the man felt so vivid that he didn’t need to, and it was hard to break the habit of talking to Charles even if it was just in his mind.

It took him a while before he found the nearest café with computers free. It took him a while before he found the nearest café with unoccupied computers. He paid the fee to use a computer with the money he’d swiped from Alex - he’d eventually pay the blonde back - and began his research. As he poured over the pages of repetitive facts, he couldn’t see any hint of him being there. Even with the best spin team, there were always hints of a cover up, especially if someone knew that something had happened there. But only the same drivel met him over and over again. A rock settled in Erik’s stomach, weighing heavily on him as the thought rolled around in his mind. He pushed away from the computer and asked one of the bored workers where the nearest ATM was. When he approached she lit up like a light and flirtatiously cocked one of her hips. She smiled wide at him, her lips pulling back over slightly crooked teeth. In a way she was pretty, but Erik hadn’t looked at anyone else in five years and probably would never start. Instead he asked her, rather abruptly, for directions. Her smile fell away and she dejectedly pointed in the direction before mumbling the distance. Erik gave a curt nod in thanks before rushing off to see the damage. Charles would’ve been amused by his hurrying, he would’ve made a quip about him being a hypocrite, but when it mattered  he would’ve kept him mouth shut and rushed forward with him. But Charles was dead, so what did his living memory know?

Just barely, Erik resisted pushing past everyone to get to the ATM; instead he stood his hands shaking in anticipation and his mind running about in circles. All the evidence pointed to one thing and one thing only, but he wouldn’t know it for sure until the last piece of the puzzle slide into place. And it did, like a bone pushed back into a socket it sent a shock wave of pain ripping through him. Erik stared at his assets, kept far enough away from his reach. He’d been burned.

 

*

 

After basically alerting everyone to the fact that he was alive and well in Miami, Erik nearly ran out of the immediate area. He could imagine Charles cursing up a storm, telling him how foolish it had been and that he was supposed to be the one with the cool head, but Erik forcefully reminded himself that Charles had disappeared in a blast and had been pronounced dead. He reminded himself that that had happened five years ago and that Charles was not going to appear out of nowhere to yell at him or tell him how stupid he was. Erik sucked in a deep breath, stilling himself. He had to order his brain, he had to get calm.

The heat was already causing him to sweat and his shirt to stick to his upper body. He slowed his pace to a stroll. People didn’t look at a man who just walked; they briefly noticed people who ran though, Erik knew that well. Plus, he wasn’t going to make it easier for the government to grab him. So, what if he was burned, he wasn’t going to lay down and let them take him down.

He turned; he might as well take Alex up on his offer for a place to stay. At least for the moment, he needed somewhere to rest until he could figure out the money issue, but he’d never been the one to squirrel the money away _just in case_. He’d never really felt the need to, yet he should’ve seen it coming. He should have known they were planning on getting rid of him, but he had held onto the world he knew with his fingertips, a world with Charles. It was almost fitting that he somehow found himself back in Miami, Charles’ favorite city to visit. Erik pressed his fingers to his temples as he meandered his way back to Alex’s place. He still couldn’t remember what had happened between the chase and the arrival to the US. That was definitely something he’d have to work on.

Erik eventually found himself standing in front of the building, but he also found a familiar face standing on the sidewalk, a small contemplative smile on her face. The last time he’d seen her face, she had been screaming at him spit flying everywhere as she asked what he thought he was doing. Erik could almost feel the hits of her fist as she demanded to know what Charles’ work friend was doing acting so sad when it was _her_ brother that died. There wasn’t another hit waiting for him; instead Raven looked up at him, an apologetic look crossing her face.

“Alex called me. He said that there was my number written on your hand. I was kind of freaked out by having an almost complete stranger call me but when he asked me if I knew you, well, I was kind of curious to know why you were back,” Raven said mostly to her shoes. “I mean you kept a wide berth from me ever since…” She trailed off, and titled her head up to look at him. Erik could see the sadness in her eyes; the memories of Charles were probably just as strong for her as they were for him. Except for the small fact that she had known a very different Charles than he ever had. Yet, Erik shook away the thoughts once the words that Raven uttered settled into his mind. She and Alex didn’t know each other well, and it was strange that his tired mind had immediately accepted that they knew each other, or that Alex’sRaven had been _Charles’_ Raven. He should’ve questioned it.

“I’m surprised you came,” Erik replied evenly. He’d wished she hadn’t because despite looking nothing like him, her presence made the Charles shape hole in his life far more easy to see. Erik closed his eyes, reminding himself that _five years_ meant something; it meant an eternity for a spy.

“I realized that I was a little hard on you back then, but you never really came back around to allow me to apologize to you,” Raven replied. She was no longer the shy girl who bowed her head anytime he swung by or rolled her eyes as he and Charles had joked about their job. Instead she stood at her full height and watched him.

“We were both a little stressed back then,” Erik replied. Raven shook her head and took a tentative step forward before placing a hand on his bicep.

“Erik, I know,” she said. His chest tightened and twisted as words and sentences moved through his mind. He should’ve shaken her. He should’ve taken her out. He should’ve denied everything. “You and Charles were a thing. I found out after I cleaned out his apartment. There was a picture of the two of you at some fair. Actually he had it hidden away so at first I thought you two were exes, but then really, Charles was a private man,” Raven explained. Erik blinked at her, and internally stopped everything. All he could think was: _Oh_. “I mean I don’t know if you guys were keeping it quiet or if Charles hadn’t gotten around to it, but I’m sorry Erik.” She squeezed his bicep. “I really am.” Erik nodded anything to get Raven away for at least a few moments so that he could breathe again.

He needed to talk to Alex anyway, so as carefully as he could he drew himself away from her. Erik didn’t try for an apologetic smile; he knew he wasn’t able to pull off the emotion and even when he had, it often scared people. So, he just nodded at her and ignored the way her nails dragged against his skin, like she was still trying to hold him back. Erik didn’t run, though he felt like he should as he made his way to the apartment. Behind him, he heard Raven start to make her way up as well; he forced himself to ignore the sound of her footsteps as he knocked on the door.

In the past, Alex had always been reluctant to leave his dwellings, unsure of his anger and what he’d do to people if allowed outside where his temper could be triggered. The habit didn’t seem to be broken since Erik had last known Alex, as the blond swung the door open immediately. He looked a little confused as to what Erik was exactly doing back at his place so soon, and as Raven appeared behind him the confused look just deepened.

“Erik?” Alex asked. The taller man glanced over his shoulder and saw that Raven was looking at him rather intently, her last link to Charles. He knew the feeling.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Erik grumbled moving past Alex. Raven grappled for his shoulder, accidentally pressing her fingers into a newly formed bruise. He wrenched his body away hissing as he did. The immediately the emotions in the room changed to varying degrees. Alex nearly ran to the other side of the room intent on not getting attacked by a wounded Erik, while Raven saddled up next to him, her hands gently stilling his body from coiling. All the while, Erik was trying to keep his body from retaliating. He couldn’t harm Charles’ baby sister. It would be like spitting on the man’s casket, not that he’d had one that Erik had ever visited. Out of the corner of his eyes, Erik could see the shocked look on Alex’s face, but the boy still didn’t know who Raven was exactly.

“I forgot!” Raven patted him gently. “You move like you’re not hurt, so I didn’t really think about it,” she continued to apologize. Alex just continued to look at her like she’d grown a second head, or maybe a third one, but Raven seemed far more worried about the damage she caused Erik.

“It’s fine,” Erik gritted out. He just wanted breathing space away from the memories of the first few days after the disappearance and death. Erik closed his eyes tightly and breathed through his nose. His calm was unraveling the longer Raven was around. As gently as he could he pushed away from her again, maybe after he acclimated himself to the fact that he was back in Miami for the first time in almost five years, he’d be able to deal with Raven.

Alex immediately intercepted Raven before she could make another move towards him. He probably realized that Raven was lucky not to be maimed and she’d probably not be lucky a second time. He probably realized just how lucky Raven was not to be maimed just now, but also that her luck probably wouldn't help a second time. There were moments when Alex showed that he actually had the ability to read the room. Moments like these showed that Alex actually had the ability to read the room. Erik pressed his finger tips to his temples and let out a long deep breath. He needed to figure out what he was supposed to do. Obviously he had no access to his usual funds, and he’d need money eventually so he could find a place to live.

“Erik, what the fuck are you doing? That chick, Raven, she’s worried she did something to you. Were you like screwing her or something?” Alex asked once he stood next to Erik. Raven was probably somewhere behind them trying to find something to do with herself. It seemed out of character, the last few memories of Raven that Erik harbored were of a no nonsense woman and a woman who was severely hurt by her brother’s death. Still, the thought of someone mistaking him and Raven being a couple sent a shock wave of irritation through his body. Alex stepped back and Erik could hear him sucking in a breath. “Got it. You and her aren’t an item. So, she knows you?” Alex asked, just like he hadn’t called Raven and probably heard the whole story about him and Charles. The edited version where they were normal business coworkers who fell in love. Erik gritted his teeth.

“I knew her brother, that’s how she knows me,” Erik replied. Alex must have lost any ability to tell when things were getting dangerous. He moved closer to Erik peering at his face.

“What, you get him killed?” he asked. What was irritation blossomed fully into rage, Erik shook with it. His hands twitching, he wanted a neck between them. He wanted to throttle someone. He wasn’t even quite aware that he’d jammed his elbow into Alex’s stomach not until he heard Raven make some sort of shocked noise while Alex was gasping to his left.

“Never say that again,” he growled. Alex couldn’t respond, but Erik was pretty sure he didn’t want to hear anything that Alex thought was a good idea to spout off. Not when the blond man’s mouth was forming what looked like a half dozen curse words. He almost brushed past Raven when he caught sight of her wide eyes and gaping mouth. “Sorry. I, I need to work on my temper,” Erik grumbled out. She didn’t need to know and she probably wouldn’t understand what Alex’s comment meant either way. Charles had always been careful at keeping his worlds separate. Yet, before he could leave the apartment Raven touched his stomach once more being incredibly gentle with him or maybe she was worried she’d get the same treatment.

“Alex didn’t tell me much, but he said you’re out of a home and money is tight. If you want, you can crash on my couch,” she offered. Erik saw it for what it was, a move of repentance for raging against her late brother’s boyfriend so close to the man’s death. As much as he didn’t want to stay with Charles’ sister, he couldn’t deny that it would be better than staying with Alex, especially after he’d knocked the wind out of the kid.

“Sure. That’d probably be for the best,” Erik agreed. He eyed Alex as the boy managed to get vertical again. Erik waved him off when he opened his mouth to speak, most likely to state that Erik was no longer allowed to stay at his place. “Already covered, Alex.” He moved to leave when Raven grabbed his hand.

“Wait, don’t you have anything?” she asked. Erik wondered for a moment when she had come to Alex’s apartment to wash the sheets and what’d she had all seen if she didn’t know that Erik only had the clothes on his back. Erik wondered what she had seen when she came over to wash the sheets and not even notice that he only had the clothes on his back.

“I packed light,” he replied. Raven arched a brow, but she didn’t question him at least not verbally. Yet, he’d never been quite good with reading people, for all he knew she’d was sending him all the messages. Instead her face only held concern.

“You sure?” she asked. Erik frowned before nodding his head. He had nothing to his name, though he’d have to change that quickly, especially if he ever wanted to get back on his feet.

“Positive,” he replied. Raven nodded, she didn’t press further instead she just lead him out down to her car. It was nice and a little small but it seemed to fit the lifestyle Erik knew Raven most likely lived. She didn’t need anything too attention grabbing, but then again Charles had been the only one who could’ve accessed the Xavier fortune. With his death, who knew where it went. It definitely wasn’t in his or Raven’s pockets.

Raven kept her silence until they were ten minutes away from Alex’s residence. From the way she shifted in her seat, she was telegraphing her intentions wide and clear. Erik readied himself an array of questions that Raven could utter. She was an Xavier, or at least she grew up with one even if she didn’t share Charles’ genes, which meant she had the capabilities to ask him nearly anything. He couldn’t imagine Raven being any sort of ordinary. Still, he didn’t expect her to pull off to the side and just stare at him.

“Why are you here, Erik? You look like you’re a few shakes from running away. Plus, you came here all bruised and half-alive. Alex’s been taking care of you for a week, at least that’s what he said on the phone, and who is he?” Raven asked. “What do you _do_? What did _he_ do?” Erik didn’t have to ask who, they both knew the person she was talking about. He looked at his hands, cataloging every single time he’d ever had to use them and every time someone else had bandaged them. “Erik!” Raven snapped.

“Raven.” He knew Charles hadn’t told her for a reason, probably in some brotherly way to protect her from the truth of what her big brother actually did. It wasn’t his place either to shatter her thoughts of her brother. “What I do, I don’t do it anymore.” Charles obviously wasn’t in the spy game either; hard to be one when he was just a memory.  Raven snorted her mouth twisting as she continued to look at her steering wheel. 

“Well, maybe you should reconsider doing your job again because your life of spending the night on my couch is getting drastically shorter,” she told him. He could hear the unrestrained anger and irritation coloring her voice. His track record for getting kicked out of a place was verging on astounding. Erik reached for the handle, knowing he’d manage somehow. Maybe the loft he and Charles used to frequent would be free, doubtful but he’d have to hope.

“Kicking me out isn’t going to make me talk,” Erik said calmly.

“I just don’t see why you have to be so tight lipped about this! He was my brother, and I don’t even know what he really did!”

“He didn’t want you to know, Raven. I’m going to respect that wish.”   He pulled at the handle.

“Why? Is it really so bad?”

“Raven, I’m not going there. Good-bye.” 

“Wait!” Raven called before he opened the door. “I’m not kicking you out, not really. I owe, I owe Charles that much, but you only get one night all right?” Erik took his hand off of the handle, allowing his actions to speak for him.

Raven pulled away from the curb almost immediately, merging into the traffic and leaving Erik to his thoughts. He knew she wasn’t going to speak to him again, not until she wasn’t so pissed that he wouldn’t tell her anything. Part of him wondered if Charles had had to dodge Raven’s questioning glances, but even as he mused, Erik knew that Charles would’ve navigated his sister’s minefield with simplistic ease while Erik couldn’t see himself do more than bumble around blindly crashing into the devices. He shook his head, he wasn’t going to stick around for too long, he was going to get on his feet and then he was going to find who burned him.

*

 

Raven’s apartment was like her car, simple yet still not all that it seemed. It fit her to a T something that neither he nor Charles had ever really managed. Her couch however, had been the most uncomfortable thing that Erik had ever had to fold himself on, and he’d been in quite a few tight corners. Yet, as he walked around the unfamiliar area at 6 am, Erik couldn’t stop himself from imagining what sort of infiltration he’d have to manage. Charles would’ve left a few precautionary traps and false leads just in case, and probably so subtle that Raven couldn’t accidentally trip them. Charles had always been brilliant like that. _I don’t think anything would ever get done if we were on opposing sides, Darling; we’re just too good at what we do._ The words caressed his memory, gently like a lover would, like a lover had.

If he kept his eyes closed he could feel Charles wrap his arms around his waist and rest his head on his shoulder. He could feel the breath against his neck as Charles mused over whatever they were planning. If he just let himself forget, he could imagine that they were on vacation and that after Charles’ solo mission he’d just appeared looking exhausted and teasing him for worrying, even if he denied it fully and completely. But Charles would know, he’d laugh and he’d tease but he wouldn’t bring up the terror they both feel whenever the other is sent on another mission.

_Thwack_! Erik’s eyes snapped open as something smacked against the door, and as his senses came back to him all the imagined sensations dissolved around him. The last to leave him, like usual, was Charles’ words and the comfort that they brought. He listened for any other movements, but even within Raven’s bedroom there was silence. Creeping forward slowly, Erik undid all the locks once he arrived at the door and peered out. There was nothing on the landing that could’ve made the noise, yet there were a few pieces of paper laid out on his feet.

**Awake early like usual?** The first asked.

**I thought you’d be. You were always the early riser.** The second stated, and Erik’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t quite sure if he’d stumbled upon some love letters to Raven, or if they were really addressed to him, and if they were then someone knew exactly where he was. Cautiously, Erik collected the other pieces, reading over them carefully. If they were for Raven he’d set them back and wake her up.

**I think this place would be perfect. It’s not too pricey and seeing as you need somewhere to settle for a little while. Just check it out, you’ll love it.** Erik swallowed hard. There was no way in any stretch of the imagination that the notes were for Raven. He shuffled through the notes again before he looked over the address. He vaguely remembered it from the previous visits and really it would’ve been something Charles knew. Before the hope could choke him or bring him to his knees, Erik stamped down on it. Five years, if Charles had been alive he wouldn’t have kept him in the dark for so long. That had never been the way they had worked. Still, the information warranted some checking out. Yet, when his eyes fell on the final sheet of paper, Erik nearly stopped breathing.

**If you’re looking for a way to get a decent start on your new home, a little birdie told me that Ms. MacTaggert knows of someone who needs assistance _._** His hands shook as the memory of Moira, Charles’ friend Moira, crashed into him. They had never been on comfortable terms, but she had never hated him and when Charles had died she had kept her distance just as he had. He tapped the notes against his fingers, someone wanted him to play, and he wasn’t quite sure that the game wouldn’t end in bloodshed. Jaws tightening, Erik rolled over the ideas of how he could test the waters. First hand of business would be to find out if Moira was even in Miami, and if she was then he would have to see exactly how she was part of the whole mess. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title comes from "Misery Loves Company" by Emilie Autumn


	2. Now And Then I Think of when We Were Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Erik tries to set up things with people, and he has a lot of conversations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, so, so, so much love to Campfiretreat (my Smoore) who smacked my hands a couple of times and got tough on me in this chapter because holy moley I needed it. I needed it so badly! 
> 
> Anything wonky is my mistake, once again.

Erik pressed Charles against the wall; their breath mingling as they stared into each other’s eyes. He wanted to drag a hand along Charles’ cheek or to lean in and brush his lips against the other man’s, but he resisted just enough to take a couple steps back away from his partner once the coast was clear. Charles seemed to be amused even after his personal bubble was no longer being invaded. He brushed himself off and then made a motion to brush some of the dirt off of Erik as well.

“Normally, this would be the moment I’d ask you why I’m always the one being pinned to the wall like some sort of female operative from a movie. However, as I understand your reasoning, at least from our discussion in Moscow, your height is now the deciding factor,” Charles teased. Erik just barely resisted against pressing Charles up against the wall once more and kissing the daylights out of him. Maybe after they procured the files, he’d be able to do whatever he wanted even if it had to follow a conversation about how having him crouch in front of Charles was not a good idea if they wanted to hide. The shorter man patted him on the shoulder, a secretive smile on his face. “Later, darling, first we need to do our jobs before they decide we're not a good team, which is just rubbish in my opinion.” Erik shook his head.

“Do you have to always sound so British?” he asked. Charles sent him a look back over his shoulder.

“You never complain that I sound so British when I’m moaning your name,” he shot back. Erik bit the inside of his mouth to keep from grinning. “Actually, you prefer me louder. Peculiar habits you have.”

“Let’s return to what we were supposed to do before, shall we?” he asked. Charles shrugged his shoulders.

“Sure, darling, we’ll shelve this one for the moment, until we’re done of course,” Charles agreed amicably. The brunet stopped only for a moment before shooting off a wink. “Though you know this means I’ll get to think about it longer.” Erik rolled his eyes; he’d had enough of his _partner’s_ teasing. Stalking forward, he pressed his lips to Charles' shocked red ones, stealing away the other man's gasp. They couldn’t keep long, their mission hinged upon their ability to keep time, yet he’d always kept ahead of time even when Charles tried to slow him down keep right on point. Erik took a few moments of just pressing his body against Charles’ before he stepped away and strolled towards his position. In his earpiece, Charles’ voice crackled, “I hate you so much right now.”

“You can take that up with me when we’re done with the mission,” Erik reminded him. He docked his grappling hook onto the ledge and jumped down. As he disappeared over the edge, he could hear Charles' breath catch, his ear piece reflecting the sound in stereo. Erik fought against a grin; Charles had always been a little more open with his reactions at least when it was just the two of them. “You always worry too much,” he chided.

“Someday that rope isn’t going to hold you and I’ll be a widower,” Charles said, “and I would like to wait to be a widower until I’m too old and wrinkly to get out of bed without help, thank you very much.” Erik shook his head, but he didn’t reply that it’d be better to keep radio silence for the rest of the mission. “Love you,” Charles whispered.

“Love you, too,” Erik whispered right back. Charles didn’t say anything more, but if he was abiding to schedule he’d be almost about the infiltrate security offices. Erik lowered himself until he was at the correct window. At a glance, there didn't seem to be many areas that would cause him to have a blind spot, yet, that also meant there were fewer spots for him to hide from the cameras. Erik pulled out a tool that would make quick work of the window, but he'd have to keep pace and not get ahead of Charles, or else when those recordings got reviewed, they'd see a quick blip of a man that came but never went.

“Got your back, darling,” Charles purred in his ear. Erik grunted the affirmative before he opened the window and slid his way in. “You have about sixteen minutes before the next round comes up and this time you can’t pretend to make out with me.” Underneath all of the teasing, Erik could hear the tension in Charles’ voice and he couldn’t blame his partner, he hated the fact that Charles was manning all the security monitors by himself. Yet, he couldn’t stop and twiddle his thumbs and hope Charles wouldn’t get into any trouble, instead he moved forward to the actual safe.

It was one of those large, imposing things, the very kind that would usually deter someone from trying to pick it up and run off with it. Erik liked when weren’t comfortable with technology. It meant he could play with some of his older items as opposed to the new, shiny ones. He crouched down, his knees brushing against the plush carpet as he started to penetrate the safe.

“Looks like when they go old school they go very old school,” Erik commented under his breath. In his ear, Charles chuckled. Settling down more, Erik readied himself for a rather tenuous time of playing with the safe. As he cleared his mind, Charles made some sort of gasping noise over the link. 

“Problem,” he hissed. Erik stilled immediately, his muscles tensing and his heart pounding against his chest. His biggest concern was the he had no idea if Charles was having a problem or if he was about to have one. Despite all he knew about his lover, Erik would rather the problem be his and only his. “I hope you brought your sticky gloves, love, because I think your best bet is either back out the window or on the ceiling.” Erik glanced up. He noted that the office was built for looks rather than to code, and the architect had seemed to have a thing for giant metal beams. “One or the other, darling, remember what I said about becoming a widower!” Charles’ voice got tighter. The man or men were close. Erik lifted his hands up, judging the distance he would need to get before he’d be able to grasp a metal beam. “ _Erik_.” He took in a deep breath before he climbed the desk and launched himself from it, wrapping his arms the metal and hoisted himself up. In his earpiece he could hear Charles let out a string of relieved curses as well as a few choice names for him. He wanted to tell Charles to relax, that he was going to be just fine, yet before he could even hiss, the large mahogany doors creaked open.

Below him three men entered the room.

 

*

What the note didn’t tell him was if Moira was just visiting or if she was a permanent resident. The last time Erik had talked to the woman she had been living comfortably in DC and had been playing as a double agent for the sake of Charles’ need for information. She’d always been Charles’ helper and that had been all she had seemingly wanted to do in the time he knew her.  Yet, maybe she had made the move so that she could service Charles’ memory in watching over his sister, which could very well mean that Moira was the one who sent him the notes in some strange way to grab his attention. Though what she thought she would accomplish with contacting him through anonymous notes, he wasn’t quite sure he would like the answer if it were the truth.

Erik turned quickly, his eyes searching for the laptop he was positive Raven possessed. She'd always been e-mailing Charles, plus, no self-respecting twenty-something would be caught dead without one. Erik almost found the laptop immediately resting on her small kitchen table and closed. He settled behind the machine and pulled the lid up. Immediately, the screen prompted for a password, Erik smiled. It would be almost like middle school all over again.

When Raven stumbled out of bed at 7:06 am, Erik had already been half way through his research on not only Moira but also on the new apartment. He’d dabbled a little on the news, but most of it was over a company’s rise and very few community interest pieces. Yet, the second she seemed to notice that he was on her laptop she let out a screech and practically ran to his side her hands on the screen, pushing it down while Erik just looked at her.

“Why are you on my computer?” she demanded, her hands covering the silver cover protectively.

“I needed it for research,” Erik answered. Raven looked between his face and the computer her lips moving without uttering a noise. Her fingers curled around it as she slowly dragged it away from him. “I wasn’t hacking into the Pentagon if that’s what you’re thinking.”

 “And how would I know that? In case you forgot, you won't tell me anything about what your job or what you did.”

 “Because it's not your business. Besides, it's what Charles did that you're really interested in,” Erik stated blandly.

“Why were you on my computer?” she asked again.

“I was looking up places to rent. You can check if you want,” he gestured to the computer. Raven flipped the laptop open, her fingers gliding over the keys with ease as she type in all the information. Yet, once she reached the screen he had been looking at her face fell. “I told you. Places to rent.”

“Alright, then how did you get on my computer? It’s password protected!” Raven smacked her hands against the table.

“You thought I could hack into the Pentagon, I don’t think your computer is high level security.”

“I thought that before, you probably can’t, so how’d you do it?” she pressed a finger against his chest, and for a moment Erik was reminded of a younger sibling. He reached forward and ruffled her hair.

“Trade secrets, but I’m going to check that place out. Can I commandeer your vehicle for the rest of the morning?” he asked. “I’ll bring it back in perfect condition.” Raven scowled at him halfheartedly.

“You’re never going to tell me what you two did, are you?” she asked.

“No. Car?” She jutted her bottom lip out, folding her arms under her chest. “The answer is still no.”

 “What if I let you borrow my car and you answer one of my questions?” she bargained. He was about to say no when she quickly added, “What if it’s not about Charles?”

“As long as it doesn’t relate back to your brother.” He ignored her huff of breath and the pout she put on her face.

“Do you have any family?”

“No. Keys?” Erik held out his hand. Despite the irritated look Raven shot him, she still turned on her heel to go retrieve her keys.

“You’re alone too,” she commented. Erik bobbed his head and pulled the keys from her hand. “So, Charles was the last one.” He stilled, the air catching in his chest. Charles had been his last _everything_ , but Raven didn’t need to know that. She could be happy to believe that they hadn’t been so wrapped in each other it hurt just to breathe without him.

“Right.” He didn’t want to talk anymore. All he wanted to do was to get out of Raven’s apartment and figure out what the hell was going on. Not only did he have to worry about who burned him, but whoever was playing with him wasn’t gaining any warm and fuzzy feelings from him either.

Raven didn’t utter another word when he pushed her front door open. There was no good-bye but then again maybe she’d spare him one when he left for good.

Once he settled in the drivers’ seat, Erik let out a long deep breath.  His hands were shaking and he had to just close his eyes for a moment to settle. Every fiber in his body was demanding that he stop and ignore the notes yet now that he knew Moira was in Miami he needed to know why she was there.

When he opened his eyes, he found that Raven was staring back at him, just her head and fingers, wrapped around the door, visible. Her face was set in a funny mix of worry and what could probably be called amusement. He could tell she was contemplating something, but once again, Erik had no idea what she could be rolling around in her head.  A large part of him wanted to just start the car and drive away. He rolled the window down.

 “You're not going to get lost, right?” she asked. Apparently, he was somewhat forgiven from his previous lack of cooperation.

“I’ll manage, thanks,” he called back. Raven retreated back into her apartment, and Erik started the car. He breathed in deeply, readying himself for an inevitable meet up that he didn't feel that hopeful about.

 

*

 

Erik sat in front of the café for an hour keeping an eye out for Moira. Once she arrived, he watched her distinct lack of interaction with the other patrons; her eyes buried in the newspaper and only talked to the waiter enough to order a drink, which she drank in a distracted manner. For a few moments, Erik couldn't help but again play with the idea that Moira had orchestrated everything even though he knew she couldn’t have. She’d never had the power or the hatred for him to get him burned

Erik gathered his courage and stepped out of the car and headed into the café. The first thing he noted was that Moira had gotten comfortable in her normal life. She didn’t even glance up; instead her brows furrowed as she read an article and only relaxed them as she sipped her coffee. He stood there watching her strange eyebrow dance for a few moments, noting how utterly oblivious she was to his arrival, before settling himself in the seat across from her. In the first few seconds, Erik was treated to a show of how many expressions could pass over Moira’s face before her lips finally pursed straight line. Erik decided then that Moira had either picked up better acting skills or she had absolutely no idea he was in town.

“Erik, what're you doing here?” she spoke to him briskly, her eyes, he noticed, were cataloging his appearance. She was wary but last she’d seen him was before the incident and the stories about him probably weren’t pretty. Who could blame them? Very few knew why he’d taken the death so hard.

“Funny things happen when they decide to burn you, Moira; they seem to like to do it when the stakes are high. It’s like they want you to fail,” he said mentioned casually, as if it were the answer to her question. 

“And die?” she added. “It seems like they couldn’t off you.” _Why did it have to be him who died?_ The question hung between them like some sort of poisonous smog. Erik smiled bitterly.

“It’s always the things less deserving that seem to survive the fallout,” he answered. Moira snorted before folding the paper neatly and resting it on the table. Her brown eyes pinned him to his chair as her lips slowly became less stern.

“What do you need, Erik, or did you just want me to be an extension of your pity party?” she asked.

“I received a message.”

“A message?”

“Yes, quite a childishly constructed one: black marker on white paper.”

“Ah, very middle school.”

“It was. It brought me back.”

“As it was meant to, I’d supposed.”

“That was my thought as well,” Erik agreed. Moira took a sip of her coffee before she sat back comfortably.

“What did it say?”

“That I wake up early.”

“Do you?”

“I do.”

 “Well, at least it was correct. Was there anything else?” she asked, a curious note to her tone. Erik nodded.

“It mentioned that there was a loft I could rent that was nicely priced.”

 “Ah, what a nice stalker, they want you to have a roof over your head.”

“One they picked.”

“Not everything's perfect, but that doesn’t tell me why you knew I was here or why you’ve come to see me, Erik,” Moira stubbornly pushed for answers.

“Who said the note wrote anything about you?”

 “Erik, we both know the kind of person you are. So really, what could have possibly grabbed your attention enough lead you here?”

“Fine, the note also mentioned you might know of someone who needed my _expertise_.”

“Interesting.”

“So, do you?”

 “I do, but I'm not quite sure I like this stalker of yours knowing about me as well.”

“Join the club.”

“I’d rather not.” 

“I don’t think this is a club that you can refuse membership to,” he explained. Moira tried to hide the smile she was fighting with a put upon sigh.

“Pity, I don’t like mandatory memberships. So, what are you planning to do, and why do you need me?” she asked.

“I just wanted to see if I could help you out Moira,” Erik answered.

“With the case?” she inquired. Erik nodded his head. “It’s not your type of case. At least I don’t think it is.”

“But does it need my skills?” Erik inquired. Moira pursed her lips.

“But if you did this, wouldn't it be doing exactly what your stalker said you should?”

 “And what do you think I'm doing right now? I just think maybe I should follow the rabbit hole a little longer.”

 “And get killed?” She crossed her arms under her chest and just looked at him. At times, he was awful at reading people, especially in such normal situations, but it was easy to figure out that she was thinking he had a death wish, and she wasn't the first.

“Just long enough to figure out if they’re trying to kill me or help me,” he muttered. Erik had cast his eyes to the side, looking out the window, but he could hear Moira aggravation as she sharply inhaled and then let out a harsh sigh.

“All right, fine, we’ll do this your way.” Erik arched a brow, she hadn’t fought him long, but then again there couldn’t be too many people with his skill set willing to help her out. “Henry McCoy, he goes by Hank, he worked at some big shot corporation up until his project disappeared. It was supposed to do something like increase accuracy or something along those lines. However, his employer didn’t react well when he learned it was missing and accused Hank of stealing it. Of course the thing wasn’t supposed to even exist, so Hank is just out of a job and blacklisted from ever stepping into another lab.”

“I’m guessing your boy didn’t do it?” Erik asked. Moira shook her head.

“No, and he’s pretty sure he knows who did it, but he doesn’t have the means to catch the guy,” Moira replied. She dug her hand into her pocket and fished out a pen. Erik smiled; he made no comment as she jotted down some information, she was giving in. “It's not a hard code to crack, but here's his address,” she started to hand him the paper before pausing. “But wait an hour or so before you contact him. I'd like to talk him down first.”

“He doesn’t want help?” Erik asked.

 “No, he wants it, but you're going to terrify him, especially since you sport that tall, dark, and homicidal look.”

“I’ll give you time then,” he agreed. There wasn’t much point to argue with Moira, she’d get her way eventually. Besides, the last thing he wanted was a hysterical client.

 

*

 

He waited two hour before paying this Henry “Hank” McCoy a visit. Deciding to forgo common courtesy, he let himself into McCoy's home. The man in question was taller than Erik, but he looked more terrified than dangerous, especially when he shook like an off balance fan. The man also seemed to keep pushing his glasses up half a dozen times, which was obviously some sort of nervous tick.

“I told Moira on the phone that I appreciate the help, but I’ve decided I don’t need it,” Hank spoke up. Erik sighed, he rarely liked dealing with normal civilians and he definitely disliked having to coax someone into allowing him to help. Charles would’ve been better at gently changing Hank’s mind, but he’d never had the patience or the gift of being able to tell exactly what people wanted to hear.

“So, you’re telling me that I drove all this way to help you, and you’d rather stay unemployed?” Erik asked. Hank startled.

“You’re getting paid! This isn’t out of the goodness of your heart!” Hank exclaimed.

“I’m getting paid at a lower rate than usual. This _is_ community service for me.” Erik replied. He saw the moment things started to click into place for Hank, it was around the time he stopped blinking at Erik like he was about to pull a dozen knives out of his clothes. But instead of calm understanding, Hank pressed hand to his chest and gasped for air.

“I just yelled at a trained killer. What's wrong with me, I just yelled at a man who could break me twenty times in less than five minutes,” Hank muttered, pushing his hands through his hair, messing up whatever order he’d had previously tamed it into, but Erik was far more amused at what Hank thought he. As Hank hunched over looking sicker and sicker as time went on, Erik tried to imagine why Hank would think Moira would ever hire a hitman.

“I’m not a hitman.” Hank looked up at him, eyes big, wide, and blue. Erik made a mental note never to look at Hank’s eyes ever again. Not when they made him think of different blue eyes, how Hank's paled in comparison, and how badly he ached to look into those perfect ones again.

“You’re not?”

“No.”

“Then what do you do?” Hank asked. For a brief few seconds, Erik wanted to tell the younger man every little gritty detail just to watch him squirm. But he could already know, especially if Hank was in any way connected to the notes. If so, then Erik had absolutely no idea what the unknown had in store for him. The thought made him itch.

 “It's complicated, but simply put, I have the skills that will allow you to prove you didn't steal your invention and get the man who did caught, all that without you being implicated in setting him up,” he answered.

“So, you’re like a fix-all?”

“In a way.” Hank nodded and sucked in his bottom lip. He kept still for a few heartbeats before he bobbed his head again.

“Okay. How do I pay you?” he asked. Erik grinned. He’d hoped that Hank would ask him that question.

“Half now, half after I’ve completed my end of the deal,” he said.

“Alright, deal.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter Title comes from the song this story is named from "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye


	3. Either You Got it Or You Don't

He’d bought supplies and a cell phone almost immediately after he’d gotten half of the payment. The rest would be used to procure the loft, but until then he’d either have to sweet talk Raven or convince Alex that it would be a good idea for them to room together for a little while. It only took Erik a few moments to decide Raven was probably the best bet he’d get with having a place to stay.

When he arrived back at the apartment complex, Erik was a little shocked when Raven not only punched his shoulder, something he had been expecting, but also hugged him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face to his chest.

“You’re stupid, and you don’t have any way for me to contact you. I imagined you got lost or that you got jumped,” she murmured against the fabric of his t-shirt. Erik was just still trying to figure out how he’d gotten from the girl snapping at him to her being worried about his well-being. Then again it probably linked uncomfortably closely to Charles, everything always found its way back to the blue eyed man.

“I have a cell phone now,” he offered. It was a small bit of peace, but Raven pulled back away from him to stare at his face for a good couple minutes. Erik wasn’t quite sure why she was staring at him at first, but eventually he acknowledged that she would initially assume he was lying. He dug around in his pocket before pulling out the actual item, showing that it did indeed exist. Raven pulled it from his fingers and promptly entered her own number. Right before she handed the phone back she narrowed her eyes.

“You’re not going to burn through a million phones in a month are you?” she asked, still holding onto the device like it was some sort of ransom. Erik leaned forward, snatching the phone away from her and snorted.

“No, that’d make my life harder.” And it would make it difficult for him to play with his watcher, if that was what he’d end up wanting to do. If not he’d switch to having two phones one where Alex, Raven and Moira could always contact him on while the other would be for more seedy business deals.

“Good.” He sucked in a breath making his decisions to broach the subject of if he could stay one more week and only one week, though after the hug Raven gave him, he was pretty sure if he worked hard enough he could weasel in two weeks. Yet, he pushed the idea away, he highly doubted Hank’s problem would take two weeks and if it did then he’d just have to suck up to Alex, as much as he hated it.

Charles had a way with people that Erik had never understood. If he had been burned and _alive_ he would have been able to procure a group of people willing to die for him if necessary. He had always been that good; Erik had always been good at doing what needed to be done and being able to hold his tongue when the interrogations got violent. Raven was watching his face still, but she didn’t look at him with any adoration instead it was like she was trying to learn all of his mannerisms, like she expected him to stay. He decided he as well make the jump right then.

“Raven, I still need a place to stay,” he reminded her. She quirked a brow and puckered her lips and for a moment, Erik wondered if they would have to go over how he wasn’t going to talk about his job or Charles for a third time.

“You like pizza?” she asked. Erik stilled, he wasn’t sure if he should smile at the question about himself or shake his head because eventually the questions wouldn’t be so innocent, and eventually like her brother she’d wear him down to the point where all he’d want to do was make her happy.

“Yes.” Raven nodded, acting almost as if he had given her some secret passcode.

“You can stay for a little while, but if this turns out to be a month thing then I am kicking you out and you can sleep under bridges!” she warned. Erik nodded. He wasn’t going to argue, if he wound up staying a month on Raven’s couch he would probably end up shooting himself with a dart gun, in the leg. He might fill it with poison if he felt extremely dramatic, something Charles accused him of relentlessly.

“Deal.” He kept all his ideas to himself, assured that Raven wouldn’t care for them. Not many people appreciated his inner narrator. Well, not many people who were _alive_ appreciated it. He dragged a hand over his face before starting for the door once more. Raven lurched forward and grabbed his wrist a feat that was quickly becoming a habit.

“Where are you going?” she asked. He could hear what he started to discern as worry edging its way into her voice.

“I need to see a man about a horse,” Erik teased. Raven’s face hardened and he sighed. “I’m going to see Alex. I need to see if we’re still,” he paused unsure of how to go on, “ _cool_.” The finish was rather unbelievable, but Erik wasn’t too worried about it. Raven let him go with a sigh.

 

*

 

“She wants a picture of you,” Charles announced out of the blue. Erik glanced up from his schematics one of the analysts sent him. His partner was sprawled on their suite couch with his lap top resting on his chest. He had originally been charged with the job of finding what connection their mark had with a few other companies, but Charles had obviously gotten bored of busy work and had returned to his e-mail.

“Who wants a picture of me?” he asked. Charles sighed and flung his arm back over his head.

“My sister, she wants to meet my new co-worker who I spend all my time with,” he explained. Erik stilled, the words co-worker sounded odd on Charles’ lips. Turning away from his information he assessed Charles a little more. The brunet looked comfortable and there wasn’t a sight of defensiveness in his posture.

“Co-worker?” he asked. Charles sat up ramrod straight and let off a soft curse.

“Don’t get offended, Darling!” He placed the laptop on the couch and moved over towards Erik, his eyes’ screaming apologizes. “It’s just that to the rest of the world that’s all we are. I hate lying to Raven, but she’s not exactly in the know and she could let it slip. Even if I tell her to be hush about it, she’ll tell one of her friends and somehow the agency will know.” Erik snorted.

“Charles, I think it’s obvious by the way that we act what we _are_ to each other.” On missions they booked one room and when they were on missions they wouldn’t leave without the other, at least not willingly. The last bit bothered Charles, Erik could tell. Plus, they worked for a group of people who were supposed to uncover secrets.

“We never confirm! Plus, when we’re back in the buildings you always act aloof and like you can’t stand me. Also, you call me Professor like it’s some sort of distain, or do you blank all that out?” Charles asked. He hiked a brow upwards as if he daring Erik to prove him wrong.

“You call me 007 right back, in case you forgot that, but I get your point. So, are you still not going to tell your sister that I’m your boyfriend?” he asked. Charles pressed his face close to Erik’s, his lips brushing over his cheek bones.

“No. To her we’re just _very friendly_ co-workers.” Erik laughed, and Charles followed soon after him. Whatever seductive air that had been around them had shattered like glass as the shorter man pressed his brow against Erik’s shoulder. They stayed there a few moments just enjoying the laughter until it all drifted away and the real reason they were there hung heavy.

“We better get back to what we’re actually paid to do,” Erik finally said. Charles pulled back from him a bitter smile curling over his lips.

“Of course, can’t let the agency know we know how to have fun with each other.” The shorter man gave a pout, his bottom lip jutting out like a pro. Erik reached forward to brush the hair away and sighed.

“Like usual we’ll just have to have fun afterwards,” he promised. The pout disappeared into another laugh, but Charles got the hint. He stood back up promptly and sauntered back to his couch but not before shooting Erik another look.

“Keep your promises, _007_ ,” he snarked.

“Oh, I will as long as you get to work _Professor_.”

“You mean no more e-mailing my sister?” Charles pretended to be scandalized, he turned a quart and placed a hand on his chest his mouth gaping open is shock. Erik rolled his eyes.

“No.” Yet, as he spoke he was blinded by a brief flash. He startled back, hand moving to his eyes the rest of his body tense and ready to attack someone. It wasn’t until Charles laughed that his muscles relaxed and he just glowered at his lover, whom was bent over his knees while he continued to cackle.

“That was bloody perfect timing! You had your I-am-not-kidding-Charles-this-is-serious-business look on your face. Now Raven won’t even have a clue. She’ll just think you’re my very attractive and straight friend,” Charles said in between giggles. Erik tried to give him his best I am not impressed/amused look, but it only set Charles off again. “You are too precious, Darling. Too precious. However did you get along without me?” Erik opened his mouth to deny it, to say that he’d been just fine without Charles, but even as he pulled proof from his memories he found that he didn’t really want to prove Charles wrong. Instead he smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

“I really don’t know what I would do,” he replied.

 

*

 

He stood in front of Alex feeling almost like he should have someone else with him to help plan for a mission. At least someone else who would be able to bounce ideas off of before they met a supplier or met with someone who would lead them to a supplier, but he was alone and he’d had time to get used to being alone. Yet, as he took all the items Alex handed to him, he felt like there should be a second set. A smaller set.

Erik shook his head, dislodging the feelings, the wants. Alex could bring up a distraction as he complained about how hard it was to get the items at such a short notice and that he also wanted to know why Erik wanted _those_ items. He shuffled through them, ignoring the blond’s questions.

“Can you act like a bodyguard? Or will that be too far your abilities?” he asked, cutting into one of the many long strings of curses Alex flung his way. The blond blinked and his jaw set immediately. Erik sighed; he’d rather not have to push through Alex’s stubborn streak.

“My client is being framed for stealing something and he wants to get it back. Of course the person who did steal it will most likely try to sell it to the highest bidder. _Me_.” He explained quickly. Alex’s eyes narrowed.

“How are you going to get the money? You can’t even afford to buy your own place,” Alex asked. Erik just grinned, the one that Charles always hated. _Let me see your real smile, Darling_.

“I have my ways.” Alex snorted.

“I bet you do. But what’s with you and Raven? I mean I get that you know her brother and you were in _no way_ involved in his death, but I don’t get it. You don’t make friends.” The boy had a point; Erik didn’t really make friends, ever.

“Her brother was my partner. He was killed after he got burned,” Erik answered softly. Alex’s brow furrowed.

“When?” The question was so simple and so easy to ask, yet as it reverberated in his mind Erik struggled to grab words to describe it. Putting a date on it would change every aspect of the conversation. Still, for all Alex knew the wound from Charles’ death was fresh.

“Five years ago. He went on a solo, and he never came back,” Erik answered. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Alex mouthing the years.

“I’m surprised you’re still alive,” Alex breathed out. Erik turned to look at the man slightly confused that he had reached that particular conclusion.

“Surprised I’m alive?”

“Yeah, I know you’re some hotshot spy and you can probably do any job anyone throws at you, but from the way you act and the way Raven was acting there was something more between you and her brother than just partnership. And shit, you’re so fucking intense I can’t imagine you not following him over the edge.” Erik processed the words, slowly and meticulously flipping through them. What he didn’t say was the he—for years—never thought Charles was dead. Alex didn’t deserve that much honesty. “And now you’re going to murder me, aren’t you?” Erik cracked another bitter smile.

“Still need a bodyguard, Alex, so are you up for it?” he asked, changing the subject. The taste in his mouth was still bitter, just like ash.

 

 

*

 

The mark was a simpleton, and for all of Hank’s worry, Erik couldn’t stop but think the man had put too much faith in his thief. The meeting place felt like it was picked out of a spy movie, down to the scantily clad bikini wearing girls. Of course he was in Miami, but the point was still there. The man thought he was in some movie. He was about to make the comment towards Alex, when he noted the blond man was trying not to oogle at all the wealth around him. Instead he pressed a hand to his ear, as if he were scratching it and muttered against his forearm.

“Are you seeing this place, Moira?” he asked. There was a cackle in his ear, amused and offset.

“I’m seeing it. Who does this guy think he is? If he weren’t dealing with you he’d be eaten alive. Hell, he’s dealing with you; he is going to be eaten alive.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence.” Alex must’ve drawn away from whatever thoughts were plaguing him about the venue as he nudged against Erik a little roughly.

“Stop talking to your arm, you look like you’re trying to give yourself a hickey,” Alex hissed. Normally, Erik would’ve retaliated some way, but he had been a little caught up with the banter. It’d been sorely lack in the past five years, and yet the thought of it made his chest ache. Erik though shook off not only the thoughts but also Alex’s weight. The blond stumbled a little but he recovered quickly enough, right in time for their mark to show up.

He looked exactly how Hank had described him. Twitchy and nervous like he hadn’t picked the venue, but then again the man obviously hadn’t gone with a place he was used to. Once more Erik wondered why Moira couldn’t have just walked up to the man and just grabbed it from him. Yet, then again maybe the mark had seen her around Hank.

“Hello, Mr.?” Erik trailed off, awaiting the secretive name the man would’ve come up with it.

“White. Mr. White,” the man supplied like expected. Erik didn’t roll his eyes, though he was fairly certain that anyone else would’ve. No self-respecting mob or gang member would deal with such an impotent man.

“Well, Mr. White. I’m Mr. Rigby. Do you have a room that we can have this particular chat?” he asked.

“Whoa, Erik, let up on the smile. You don’t want him to know you’re going to eat him while he’s still screaming. Also, really Mr. White did he play too much clue?” Moira commented in his ear. For a moment he was back, back in Istanbul sharing private jokes with a voice in his ear while the mark blabbered on about his plan. Yet, he wasn’t there long—he couldn’t afford to be. Erik refocused on Mr. White and his jittering hands.

“Y-yeah, I acquired a room just for this. You have the, _you know_?” the man whispered. Erik bit the inside of his mouth, to keep polite, before motioning back towards Alex who held up the silver brief case. He was pretty sure that Mr. White would appreciate the ascetics. “Good, good.” He led them away from the girls in bikini’s and the alcohol. Alex followed dutifully after Erik, but not before he looked over the girls one last time.

There were only a few moments that Erik wasn’t sure if Alex was actually that unprofessional or if he was trying to keep Mr. White feeling comfortable by playing up stereotypes. After a wink and smile, Erik had his answer. He strode after Mr. White with his back straight and a smirk on his lips.

“I am very interested in this new technology. What is it supposed to do again? You weren’t too forthcoming on the phone,” Erik asked once inside the room. The man jumped a little at the door closing, but he didn’t reach for a gun—which was a good thing in Erik’s opinion.

“Had to be careful. I can’t trust a lot of people. But you’re here. You have your bodyguard and you have your case. Good.” Mr. White’s words were becoming a little too sporadic for Erik’s taste. If the man had injected himself with the serum, Hank had eventually admitted to making, then things were going to devolve quickly. They weren’t going to end well for Erik either. He would’ve preferred a gun in the long run. Still, he stood with his body loose but ready for action if necessary. At his side, Alex adopted the same form even though he still clutched the silver suitcase in his hands.

“What does the thing do?” Erik asked. He made sure not to out himself. Mr. White hadn’t said it was a serum; he’d barely spoken about it at all. Just that he had something and the fact that Erik had found it meant he must be interested.   

“It makes you better. Yeah. It takes what you are and makes it better. Completely safe.” Mr. White gibbered. Hank had been explicit that the serum had yet to be tested on humans, and he was pretty sure the side effects wouldn’t be pretty—at least that had been his theory. From the way that Mr. White was still shaking Erik was pretty sure that the serum was in no way safe and that the man’s idiocies were going to make the job harder.

“Erik, what’s going on there? You’ve gone quiet and _Mr. White_ sounds like he’s not quite there.” Moira spoke up in his ear piece.

“I believe Mr. White has decided to sample the product.” Erik hissed. Moira was silent for a couple a beats before she let out a string of curses. Looking up at the nervous and jittery man, Erik tried to smile soothingly. If they were ever going to find out where he’d stashed the serum—what was left of it. They’d need to ask before he dropped dead. Mr. White was already stumbling around his coloring becoming more and more worrying with the blue tint.

“Shit.” Alex whispered his eyes wide as saucers. Erik couldn’t help but agree but he needed the information. Once they had the serum they would be able to figure out how to fix everything. At least they’d be able to mock up a show of someone else who looked a little like _Mr. White_.

“Mr. White, where’s the s-where’s the product so I can see it?” The man was getting bluer and bluer as the seconds past. Erik was running out of time and the man started to cackle at him, like he’d said the wittiest joke in the world.

“It makes your hearing better. It makes everything better and you don’t have to give up your good looks. Good looks are everything.” Erik was losing patience; he needed someone who could talk to the loon, maybe appeal to his better judgment.

“Moira, can you make it?” he asked. He’d almost asked for another name. The woman didn’t seem to notice the hesitation or if she did, she didn’t feel like calling him out on it.

“No, I don’t think even if I ran I’d make it in time to get the answers out of him. Just try to be nice Erik. Speak calmly.”

“I am being calm.”

“Not you’re I’m going to kill you calm. Nice sweet calm. Imagine you’re talking to children, and remember I know everything.” Erik took a small step forward.

“Mr. White, please can you tell me where the serum is?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm and soothing. Alex didn’t cringe, but he didn’t really approve too heartily either. The blond just stood watching Mr. White cautiously. The man just kept laughing and speaking gibberish until he fell to the ground, and he didn’t move again. Erik turned away from the body feeling the anger shudder through his body. Everything had been riding on the man who had thought it necessary to inject himself with the very product he was trying to sell.

“Erik?” Alex said. His voice had also taken on a soft tone, as if he were trying to talk down some dangerous creature. Turning towards the blond, Erik tried to keep his breathing normal he tried to not see red because the one easy job he had been given had been botched. “What now?”

“Now? Now we find out where that jackass hid the serum and hope that no one finds it and thinks that it’s a good idea to inject themselves with it. So, first we need to find someone who is willing to dive into every inch of that man’s life and then find his friends.”

“Here, here,” Moira breathed out. “I’ll start widening my net see if I can grab anyone who specializes, if not I have a computer with your name on it Sullivan. I thought this was going to be a cake walk.” Erik agreed. When both of them had explained the job it had sounded like he was merely going to walk in talk the mark into giving him the serum at the designated drop spot and then they would be able to prove that Hank didn’t steal his own serum. Of course life decided that he deserved more hell to pay.

 

*

 

They were at Moira’s house, Raven’s apartment being dangerous and Alex had been adamant that they weren’t going to use his place as a basis of operations. As he looked around the house, Erik had expected more secretive codes or something to give away—at least to him—that she was once in Charles’ pocket and she had also played hardball with the government. Except it looked nothing like that. It appeared to be completely and one hundred percent civilian. Moira had at first smirked at his curious looks around the house before she had settled a laptop in front of him and told him to have at it, all while she too pulled out her own.

Alex was lounging on the peach colored couch with his eyes attached to the ceiling. If Erik hadn’t known the boy, he would’ve assumed the death had hit him hard. Then again, Erik mused, maybe the way the man had died still bothered Alex. Long histories of life on the streets lead to many aversions or none at all.

“What the hell was he messing with?” Moira asked absolutely no one. Erik glanced from his own screen to see Moira with her hands threading through her hair, fingers tangling with the auburn strands. “Days like these I wish I still had my resources.” Erik wasn’t sure he was supposed to hear her muttering, yet he looked up none the less and stared at her. Moira returned the gaze daring him to speak up.

“Why don’t you have them?”

“Charles. Well, not really his fault, but when he disappeared, I was pretty sure I would be next on the list if I didn’t resign and promise to keep my nose out of everything. They watched me for two years, and I waited them out four before moving down here. I kept up my disguise of a waning agent,” She said, a smile on her lips. “Hell, I even had you fooled. I knew someone was watching me at that café, Erik. But I’ll give you this; you were the last person I thought I’d ever see.”

“I wasn’t planning on visiting you either,” Erik admitted. Moira let out a bark of laughter.

“Good, or else I would’ve felt like a bitch for hating you all those years ago, if you secretly liked me,” she told him. Erik bit back the smile, comradely even as temporary as Moira’s felt lacking. Still he tried to push past the bitterness of guilt, of the one mutual connecting point and looked at her.

“The feeling was mutual.” Moira smiled.

“Yeah, you’re growing on me too, Lehnsherr,” she told him. Erik looked back down to his screen.

“Like a deadly fungi,” he added. Moira snorted, but her smile was more than agreeable. In the background Alex made a gagging noise, but overall he was ignored. Still it was nice to know the kid wasn’t still gazing at the ceiling like it would give him the answer to the universe. Erik returned his attention to his screen.

“What are we going to do when we find it?” Alex spoke up, breaking the silence once more. “I mean we can’t just give it back. It’ll look like your client just got cold feet and wanted his job back.”

“Normally, I’d say we just set up our mark as the fall guy. He already took it,” Moira trailed off. They all knew what happened to _Mr._ _White_.

“We’re going to have to improvise,” Erik said. He kept his own council for a few moments before turning to look at Alex. The blond was still on the couch but his face was no longer tilted towards the ceiling.  He was looked at Erik, with a slight sense of apprehension. “Actually, you can help. Find a man who looks a lot like Mr. White. Coax him into acting for us. Moira how’s your forgery skills?”

“Perfect as usual, Erik, what do you need?” she asked.

“I need two police officers.” Moira just smiled.

 

*

 

It took them a little while to sift through everything and find where Gregory, not much better than Mr. White—Erik had to admit, lived. It ended up being more who he lived with, the entire idea set Erik’s teeth on edge. What they had gleamed from the police reports surrounding Gregory’s girlfriend was that she had probably the most likely one to shoot up with the drug. Erik pressed his forehead against the wall.

“We can’t exactly give the damn company an empty container,” he hissed. Moira huffed behind him, her fingers clacking against the keys.

“Do you still need to guy then?” Alex asked. He seemed to learn his lesson about provoking Erik, he was keeping his distance and was the closest to the door.

“Yes,” Erik answered. The answer to their problems dawned on him just as his phone buzzed in his pocket. Jamming his hand in his pocket he quieted the thing. It was probably Raven inquiring if he still needed the couch. He turned towards Moira and then back more towards Alex. “I need you both to be ready when I call.” He reached for his keys only to still when Moira gripped his bicep.

“Erik, don’t go lone wolf out there. All right?” she warned. “This might not be some backwoods area where everyone and their grandma has guns, but it still is dangerous.” Erik shook her off.

“I can slip by a civilian Moira,” Erik growled. He was burned not completely useless; a flutter of irritation passed over Moira’s face before she just shook her head and went back to her work. Her back was ramrod straight. Erik more or less ignored the looks shot to him by Alex, and just walked out of the house. He was only halfway down the drive when Moira called out to him.

“Take my car, and don’t wreck it.” She tossed him the keys. “And I expect that call Sullivan!” He didn’t reply, he just grabbed the keys and waved off all of her worry. Trust was something that built slowly, and he knew better than anyone how easy it was to shatter. He slid into her front seat, his mind full of what he could do to get into Gregory’s place.

The idea was already forming by the time he parked the car and headed for the stairs, but he had to be careful. Lisa could very well haven taken the serum too, just to see how good the product was. Erik brought his fist to the door a couple of times before he just stood listening. Nothing sounded inside the apartment. Not even a high pitched giggle that Gregory had emitted before his death, then again Lisa probably didn’t have a buyer to giggle at. Erik gritted his teeth, he was already soaked in sweat from the humidity and with everything that was amounting he wasn’t in the mood to play the normal.

He banged on the door again and waited. There was still no noise from the other side. He pulled his lock pick from his back pocket. There were other ways to an apartment more MacGyver worthy variations, but Erik didn’t have the time or patience and it was far easier just to store the kit in a back pocket—than to hope he’d have the right combination of things. The longer the quite kept, the more the idea of face-less Lisa lying in her own pool of spit became more vivid. Erik began to work on the lock, his hands moving quickly. Metal had always felt like home to him.

The door clicked and Erik shoved it open. When the smell of death didn’t hit him full force, Erik felt a little stupid for worrying. More than that, he stilled—he had changed over the years. Stepping further into the apartment, Erik listened for movements. Still he heard nothing and shut the door quietly behind him. If Lisa was just out of the apartment he didn’t really want to give her an opening to call the cops before he had a chance to subdue her or try to talk his way out of it. Yet, with Lisa out of the apartment it led him to another problem; he no longer had an easy way to find out exactly where they hid the serum, or if it was even in the apartment in the first place.

He sent up a muttered curse before treading lightly throughout the main room, his eyes taking in inventory. The apartment didn’t scream thief masterminds, but then again Gregory had proven that he wasn’t exactly an ace at illegal activities. Then again as Erik looked over the room again, he noted that the briefcase did seem a little out of place, but then it fit for the image he had been sure Gregory would’ve tried to make. It felt easy, almost too easy as he walked forward to grab the conspicuously silver suitcase. And as he leaned down to grab the case the click of a gun told him that—yes, it had been too easy.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” The voice was distinctively female and very afraid. Erik held up his hands letting out a long soft breath.

“I am here to fix the mistake your boyfriend made,” he said calmly. He could hear the woman shift and for a moment he wondered how she had ever snuck up on him with a weapon.

“Oh yeah? And what mistake is that?” she growled.  He closed his eyes, he had to be careful. Lisa, he was so sure it was Lisa, had a gun pointed somewhere on his back and she was probably a half step away from firing at him just out of pure fear.

“This _thing_ is dangerous. If he sells it to anyone and they use it, they’ll come back after you and they won’t leave anyone you care about alive. I need to keep it off the streets, you understand?” Erik replied. He listened as she shifted weight again moving closer to him. She didn’t stop moving until Erik felt the muzzle against his back. What she didn’t know was that she had pressed too close. Before, she had been out of his range and safe. Erik twisted his body, grabbing the metal and quickly stripped the gun. As the pieces fell to her carpet, Lisa just stood with her eyes wide and fearful.

“Who are you?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“That’s not important, is the serum in there?” He pointed behind him towards the suitcase. The woman snagged her bottom lip and kept her silence, but everything about her screamed yes. Reaching behind him, Erik grabbed the suitcase as gently as he could before shifting the weight. Lisa’s hands clenched, Gregory had probably given her one job and only one—to make sure that the serum was safe. “I’ll be taking this and I’m sorry.” Lisa stayed glued to her spot, her face paling.

“Did you?” her voice cracked. She didn’t have to go on, he knew what she was asking just as she knew exactly what he had meant by the apology. It would make sense him gunning Gregory down when he wouldn’t give up the money. Tears welled up in her eyes. He could give her someone to hate, he deserved it, but in the long run Lisa would eventually grow to hate him so much that she’d try to get her revenge at the very worst moment.

“No,” he answered honestly. Lisa was still glued to her spot as he made his way out of the apartment. Part of him was still running off the high from having a gun pulled on him, the other part remember that five years ago that would’ve never happened.

 

*

 

“Why don’t we just give it back then?” Hank asked, pacing back and forth across Moira’s dining room.

“Hank,” Moira started.

“You’d be implicated as just trying to give back what you stole and they’d still blacklist you. So, if you want to be stupid go ahead take it,” Erik answered bluntly. He motioned towards the suitcase and just barely ducked from the jab Moira made in his direction. Her face said he wasn’t helping and that she was still mad that he never called.

“I just, why do we have to do it that way?” Hank asked. He still looked at Erik like he believed he was about to attack him out of nowhere—an expression Erik was rather comfortable with.

“Because it’ll get you off the hook and if I feel like it, it’ll keep that thing off the markets for a long time,” Erik volleyed back. He let Moira hit him the second time she swung her arm. She hit him again, her face pinched.

“W-What?” Hank stuttered. His eyes went comically wide, but Erik had to look away too much blue of the wrong shade. If Moira noticed she was kind of enough not to mention.

“I actually have to agree with Sullivan here. I don’t think I could just give that serum away knowing what it could potentially do,” Moira said. Hank went red and he fumbled for words for about five minutes before Alex busted into the room a large box in his hands.

“I got food and before you ask. Yes, I have the video of shadowy you buying from look-a-like Mr. White. And, I have food before anyone asks,” Alex said. Erik collected the container labeled Sullivan and picked at the Chinese food. He wondered if Alex assumed his real last name was Sullivan or if he thought he’d gotten the real last name. He played with the idea briefly before Moira put the video on.

There was a man who looked like Gregory fidgeting like the man had done and waiting until a shadowy Erik arrived on the scene. While they filmed it, he had tried to act like he knew the area and knew exactly where to stick to the dark spots. He came off far more sinister in the video. The interaction was stilted enough to look like he hadn’t coaxed the man into doing everything, but there was enough give that it didn’t look like Gregory look-a-like was going to run. When the video ended, Erik let out a breath of relief—so did everyone else.

“Good enough?” Alex asked. “I had to shop around a little before I could find someone who’d doctor that enough for us.” Moira nodded.

“Yeah, it’s good enough. Erik, what do you think?”

“It’s good enough to pass off, but you’re going to have to sell MacTaggert.”

“I know. Trust me. I played my part in the government long enough I could do this in my sleep.”

“I’m counting on that.” He didn’t mention that they all were because that would be presumptuous and he still needed Moira. She was a good contact.

His phone buzzed again, reminding him that he still had a message he’d ignored for the sake of his mission and because he’d rather not have to deal with Raven when his mind was supposed to be on other things. Like her brother, she had a way of being distracting. Pulling the device from his pocket, Erik unlocked it only to see an unknown number with the message.

**_You want to know who burned you? 4995 NW 79 th Ave. You know what to do._** Erik’s blood chilled in his vein.


	4. Hate Me Today

He’d ignored the text for the next three jobs. It helped that moving into the loft took up his attention and the fact that Hank was still bothering him over the giving the vial back. Moira had reasoned with the man that while he had no intention of using the substance for nefarious purposes, she couldn’t trust the company to leave it as a harmless supplement. Erik just didn’t care. It also helped that the jobs took his mind off things.

It was all fine except for the moments when Raven showed up at his door holding a slightly burned casserole with a hopeful look on her face. He hadn’t been face to face with her ever since he left her apartment. He’d kept a friendly text communication, to let her know he was still very much alive. Yet, when she showed up, Erik couldn’t stop the hollow feeling in his stomach from reappearing to remind him he was no longer whole and he hadn’t been for five years. Her visits weren’t often enough though, and Erik managed to keep his mind firmly off of the nagging text in his phone.

“I have another job lined up for you, but this one's going to be tricky,” Moira said around a spoon of peanut butter. Erik looked at her over his newspaper; part of him debated whether he should demand that she just take the damn jar home with her or if he should just keep it out of spite and hide it.

“Do tell,” he replied. Moira pulled the spoon from her mouth and waved it about. Erik followed the metal closely.

“Angel is her stage name. She’s a sweet girl, but she’s in a bad spot.”

“Aren’t they all? Get to the point,” he ordered. She rolled her brown eyes, but there is a quirk to her lips none the less.

“She saw or has something she wasn’t supposed to. Now her ex-boyfriend and his crew want her dead,” Moira said. “She’ll need a lot of help to just survive. You could do a lot of good.”

“If I take the job,” he offers up.

“You’re going to take the job.” She dug the spoon the peanut butter and Erik decided right then he’d send her home with the damn jar.

“The fact that you think that you know me that well is laughable.”

“I do know you that well. I actually know you pre-Charles, during-Charles, and post-Charles. I know you the best out of anyone alive,” she stated near flippantly. Except the moment the words left her lips, her jaw dropped and she looked like she was very ashamed. The dig was deep; pulling at his chest, yet Erik just clenched his teeth and focused back on the paper in his hands. He folded it trying to cool his temper as he slid his fingers over the black, white, and gray pieces.

“You barely knew me pre-Charles,” he muttered. Moira didn’t get the chance to say anything else as he made his way to his bedroom. It was the only room that was actually somewhat separated from the rest of the loft. He rested on his bed contemplating the job. Moira was right he would take it. The door to his left opened and Moira walked in. She was quiet, but they both knew they were aware of each other. Erik shifted, falling to his back, and looked at her.

“I could’ve killed you,” she whispered. Erik cracked a smile at that.

“I wouldn’t have my back to you if I thought that,” he replied caustically. “I’m taking the damn job. What more do you want?” he demanded. Moira found her way to the edge of his bed and sat on it.

“I know what you two were to each other, and-”

“Moira, shut up,” he snapped. Erik pushed himself up to sitting, he had his chin on his knees and his jaw clenched. “If I am going to do this job, I need to be able to contact her. Get a hold of Alex tell him to find me some people with information. Good information at that, and tell Hank to stop calling me.” 

“He’s still bothering you?” she asked. “Yeah, I’ll let him know. Actually I’ll tell him you’re more likely to dump the stuff in a water supply if he contacts you one more time.”

“I like the way you think, MacTaggert.”

“Why thank you, Sullivan.” She patted his back. The fact she hadn’t touched on the fact that she was very much not an errand girl was telling. Erik waved her off and stayed with his gaze glued to the wall. He almost felt raw enough to look at the text message once again. Instead he fell back to his bead and stared up at the ceiling.

 

*

 

Charles waved the flashdisk in front of his face like a flag. A grin is spread over his lips as he did. Erik very nearly dragged him back down on the bed. Except their bosses wanted them, and it’s their duty not to disappoint. Yet he still rolled to his back took Charles down with him. The shorter man landed with a huff and a bright laugh.

“I came to show you we have a new mission and this is how you repay me?” Charles laughed. “Guess it’s to be expected. I am supposed to find Erik Sullivan and tell him that we have a job to do.” He dragged a finger along Erik’s stubble covered jaw. “I don’t think they expect me to find you this quickly.” Charles pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“So, we get at least an hour before we have to watch this then?” Erik grabbed the flashdisk from Charles’ fingers. It was tiny black and relatively unassuming. He was pretty sure if they ever carried the thing into a library it wouldn’t take much to switch it out with some kid’s. Too wrapped up in the device he nearly missed Charles rolling on top of him, thighs encasing his hips.

“An hour? What if you were really, really hard to find?” He ground down on Erik a smirk crossed his face.

“Three hours tops, if I didn’t want to be found.”  Charles slid his hand up along his chest.

“Hmm, I like three hours,” Charles whispered. “It gives us time to _play_.” He wiggled a little. Erik clamped his hands down on Charles’s hips, his thumbs digging in. The smaller man just hummed low in his throat before bringing himself down to press kisses along Erik’s neck and jaw. He rolled his hips and as Erik gasped he plundered the other man’s mouth.  There were moments when Charles was in such control that all Erik wanted to do was lie back and let him work. Slowly, Charles pulled away to look at him.

“I don’t know if I’ll last ten minutes if you keep doing that,” Erik cursed as Charles rolled his hips. Charles laughed, his voice nearing breathlessness.

“Oh, I have faith in you, darling,” he replied. Yet, Charles wiggled his hips again. Erik let off a growl before he gained the leverage and flipped them both over. His lover clung to him—leg flung around his waist as their chests pressed together. They were only locked together for a few moments before Erik tugged at Charles’ shirt. With a soft chuckle, Charles pulled at his own blue shirt shimmying out of it before he gave Erik a wide grin. His reds lips stretched wide. There was something calming about having a lover he was so familiar with. He already knew every button Charles had, and what every scar meant.

Charles could very well say the very same thing about him ~~as well~~. They knew each other’s bodies and as Erik dipped his head pressing open mouthed kisses against Charles’ collar bone, he could feel his lover squirming and moaning as his fingers found the spot just along his rib cage that made him shudder.

“God, Erik,” Charles gasped as he arched against his touch. He reached up gripping Erik’s hair and pulling him down. Their mouths clashed in a fight for dominance that eventually Charles gave into him.

Erik gently tugged at the sleep pants Charles had worn—pulling over the man’s hips. His lover was quick to follow his chain of thought and raised his hips upwards allowing the clothing to slip down until he could kick them off. He pulled at Erik’s underwear, tugging at the elastic impatiently.

“Eager,” Erik commented. Charles just smiled.

“Three hours.” Erik leaned down and pressed his lips against Charles’. The shorter man sunk his fingers into his hair pulling him close, and they were pressed against each other. “Erik, you damn bastard,” Charles hissed. He tugged at Erik’s hair. “Now take those off.” He pulled at the elastic with his free hand. Erik relented, allowing some space between them for Charles to work.

Erik sat up, resting against his heels, as he looked at his lover all splayed out along the bed with his eyes hooded. He dragged a hand along Charles’ thigh relishing as the other man squirmed a little and how heated his skin was. Bending down, he pressed his lips against the white flesh of Charles’ upper thigh. Erik grinned against the skin as he felt the muscles coil and shift with each movement Charles made.

“God you look beautiful down there,” Charles gasped out. His fingers scrambled for a grip in Erik’s hair as he nipped at his inner thigh. He slid his hands underneath Charles’ glutes and hoisted him up. His lover’s head titled back with a sigh. Erik nuzzled along his erection just to listen to Charles moan and nearly jackknife off the bed. The shorter man sunk his fingers deeper into his hair, tugging at the strands. With a low chuckle, Erik pulled back enough to lick a strip along Charles’ cock, and to watch as Charles released one of his tight grips to wrap his mouth around his fingers.

Erik opened his mouth and sucked him down. His tongue lavished the underside of his lover’s cock, until the other man was a writhing mess beneath him. Charles dug his nails in urging him to continue to go on, all while his heel dug into Erik’s back. Pulling back with a pop, Erik looked up at Charles a smirk curling at his lips. The brunet half glared at him before he wiggled out of Erik’s grips sliding his legs away from him as he rolled towards the nightstand.

“Where are you going?” Erik asked. Charles shot him a wide grin over his shoulder, eye twinkling in mischief.

“To give you a show,” he answered. He pulled the drawer open the lube, Erik knew they had stored earlier. He turned waving the bottle at his side, the cheeky smile in place.

“I don’t want a show,” Erik replied. He pulled at Charles’ arm, the very one the held the lube. “I just want you.” Charles stilled. His eyes went wide and for a moment, Erik was afraid his lover wasn’t breathing. Jerkily, the other man nodded.

“Alright.” He handed the bottle of lube over. Erik covered his fingers with it, before he coaxed Charles closer. Gently, he worked him open, fingers slipping in slow, and once more. Charles started to gasp and writhe. There were no more words between them, as Erik kept pumping his fingers into him. Charles grabbed at his shoulders anything that he could touch, his fingers dragged against Erik’s skin. Erik rolled the condom and slicked himself up before he pressed the palms of his hands against Charles’ hamstrings. Pushing the other man until he was almost folded in half, Erik slowly slid in.

Charles’ legs rested upon Erik’s shoulders once he released the thighs and they both took a moment to only breathe. He stared into Charles’ shocking blue eyes and he’ was captured again. Slowly, he moved, rolling his hips until Charles’ closed his eyes groaning and moaning. One hand he curled around the bedpost, but the other reached up to stroke along Erik’s cheek. Erik moved his strokes slow and deliberate as he continued to thrust into Charles.

They held onto each other after they both climax. After they both climaxed, they continued to hold on to each other.  Charles doesn’t speak for a few moments his fingers once more buried into Erik’s hair musing up his usually perfectly arrayed strands. Erik just tried to remember he needed to breathe and maybe he didn’t show too much. Charles pressed a kiss to his temple

“I love you,” he whispered.

 

*

 

Erik met Angel at the park. From what little was in file, he knew the woman was adamant that he stayed the hell away from her home. He had no qualms with the meeting place and instead he grabbed a drink from a café before he settled himself on a bench. Angel was slow to walk up to him, and when she settled beside him she sent a long dark look his way, her lips forming a pout.

“Moira said I could trust that you. But so far all I see is a guy who looks out of place,” Angel commented with a scowl on her face. Erik adjusted the sunglasses on his face and took a sip of his coffee. Moira had had Alex bang against his door early and pushed him out the door without allowing Erik to pause for a cup. Alex had been insistent that Moira was going to skewer them both if Erik didn’t leave early enough. While he was fairly certain Moira couldn’t exactly touch him, he was going to let Alex off the hook for the moment. However, he was plotting on how to deprive Moira of her beloved peanut butter.

“More people notice you than they do me. I’m just the guy lounging on a bench sipping his coffee, while you draw attention to yourself by being so stressed looking,” Erik replied behind his cup. Angel didn’t look affronted by his comment, instead she just let out a soft grunt before turning more towards him.

“I have a big problem, and I need someone who actually knows what they’re doing to help me,” she explained. Obviously he’d passed whatever fake test she had brought up in her mind.

“If it’s not my type of gig I’ll let you know before you give me money,” Erik replied. He wished someone else would do more of the client handling bit, he’d even settle for Moira, ~~bit~~ and just hand him the case, but then again every time he complained, Moira would tell him it was character building. His reply would be more or less a glare.

“My boyfriend, well ex now for a good reason, he wants me dead because he thinks I have something of his. I don’t. What I saw was some lipstick marks and there was some perfume on his shirt. I was yelling at him, and something must’ve fallen out of his shirt because he’s pretty sure I stole a _very_ important whatever from him,” Angel explained in a hushed tone. “And it doesn’t help that I totally kicked his ass out of my apartment and then refused to let him back in. But I wasn’t about to let some cheating asshole back into my home!  So, now he seems to think my freak out was to cover up the fact that I stole something from him!”

“Did you?” he asked.

“No! Why would you ask that? You think I did it because of who I am?” she demanded. Erik could see she was half ready to stand up and walk away from him.

“It’s because I’ve had clients who would rather not have to give back what they’ve stolen and so they make up a story. I would probably still help you even if you did, your ex seems like someone who deserves to get screwed over,” Erik said conversationally. Angel stared at him, her eyes flickered over what features she could see before she shook her head.

“I really don’t know what the hell he thinks I have. It’s probably in my apartment because that jackass always left his shit there, but I have no idea what it is. Or else I would throw that shit at his head. I don’t want any part of his gang or whatever the hell he’s gotten himself into.”

“Does he know your feelings on this matter?” Erik asked. He shifted in his seat.

 

“Yeah, he does. I told him that I wasn’t gonna let him put that shit in my life. Whatever he thinks I have, it probably worth a lot or something like that. You still good?” she demanded. Erik took a drink of his coffee and smiled. 

“Oh, it’s within my range. The question is, is it within your price range?” he asked. “And before you get offended, I’m not exactly in the price range for normal people.” He wished again that Moira would’ve dealt with everything. For the most part he was pretty sure that she was a hell of a lot better with dealing with people.

“Whatever your price is, I’ll match it. I just, I want this shit to be over. Then I won’t have to worry about leaving my house or my house being shot up,” Angel said. She pushed her hair behind her ear.

“You have a place to stay?” he asked. She looked startled her eyes widening before she narrowed them again. “Not with me.” Maybe he could get Moira or Alex to give the woman asylum, though he doubted Alex was a good idea. For a moment he toyed with the idea of asking Raven for a favor, but she was, had been, Charles’ only other person.

“I’m not staying with any of your boys either!” Alex was definitely out of the question. Erik held up a finger.

“Let me make some calls, see if we can get you a safe place.” He stood up and turned the screen on. The memory of the texts floated around his mind for a few moments before he shoved it back. Moira picked up after the first three rings.

“Please tell me you didn’t butcher it. She’s a nice girl, and I was pretty sure since I know exactly what team you bat for, you wouldn’t leer at her clothing choice. Did she think your grumbling was you coming on?” Moira asked.

“No. Do you have an extra room?” Erik inquired.

“Still no extra room.”

“It’s for our client.” He grumbled out.

“Your client, what about a hotel room?”

“I need eyes on her at all times, hotel room or even a motel room is too open. She could wander off and get herself killed or compromise her position or even mine. Before you suggest friends, I already thought of that. He knows where she lives; he’d know where her friends live most likely as well. We need someone who she doesn’t have a history of dealing with.”

“Makes sense, but what about Alex?”

“She doesn’t want to stay with males.”

“And you can’t host her because?”   

“I need space to work; she’d just get in the way while I tried to fix things. Plus, I am still a male.”

“You do mostly bat for the other team. Did you explain that?”

“No.”

“Can I ask why?”

“My orientation is no one’s business but my own.”

“Erik, I don’t have to tell you that you’re running out of options.”

“No, you don’t. I’ll figure this out and I’ll contact you later.”

 **It’s getting a little hot where you are. Better get the girl and move out of the open.** Erik stared down at the words from the unknown number. He already knew tracing the message would lead to only well covered tracks and a whole lot of nothing. He glanced around for a few moments, eyes darting over the entire park. It looked as if the decision had been made for him.

“Let’s go.” He reached for Angel only to have the girl coil back.

“What the hell?”

“Don’t make a scene. I got an update from,” he paused, “a _friend_ that we might want to get moving. And you’re coming to my place before we find out a better situation.”

“Like hell I am!” As much as Moira wanted him to out himself, he was fairly sure it was none of his client’s business to know which sex he preferred, Erik took it upon himself to stare the woman down. “Don’t think that intense bullshit is going to work on me!”

“Would you rather be gunned down in this park or stay with me temporarily?” he demanded quietly. Angel only thought on the comment for a couple of seconds before she nodded her head, but Erik knew how quickly their time could be up. He pulled at her hand and led her through the crowds.

He pulled off his sunglasses and perched them on her face while pulling at the buttons of his top. Once the shirt was completely undone, Erik pulled it from his body and rolled it into a ball. As quickly as he could, he shoved the fabric in Angel’s rather large purse before running a hand through his hair and disrupting any semblance of order it had had before. Angel watched the entire transformation quietly before she too altered only a couple of items on her clothing and then put her hair up. She, amazingly enough, even applied a couple of swipes of lipstick before shoving the tube into her bag as well.

“Quick study,” Erik commented. She didn’t smile, but she shifted her bag up onto her shoulder and linked their hands.

“Well, I was pretty sure you weren’t stripping for me,” she shot back. He led her through most of the crowds, his mind still on the text. He didn’t quite give a damn if the text had been helpful; someone else was watching him enough to know that fourth party had entered the mix. His phone buzzed again.

 **You were always quick. Thank you for following my advice. If not, well I don’t think the civilians would have appreciated the unnecessary violence _._** Erik glanced at the message, for a moment it sounded so much like Charles. Except Charles was gone. Dead and gone, and what he needed to do was focus on the case at hand. He glanced at Angel who was giving him a rather unimpressed gaze as he ferried her through the streets.

“You have a car?” she asked.

“I do, that’s exactly where we’re heading.”

“Wait? You parked that far away?”

 “Moira informed me of your problem, so I made options, this is just one of them.”

“Good thing you did. That your ride?” Angel titled her head towards a car. There were two cars parked along the road and Erik wasn’t quite certain which one she was indicating. He squeezed at her hand as she veered towards the nearer car.

“Not that one,” he whispered. Angel corrected her stride and headed for the passenger seat.

“You getting us out of here then? What if they’re following us?” she demanded. She glanced over her shoulder, as if she could spot the men from the crowd.

“I’ll know and I’ll fix it,” Erik stated. Yanking open the driver’s door, he slid behind the wheel. Angel entered the car not long after him with a resounding slam of her door. Placing her purse in her lap, she glanced towards Erik.

“You’re pretty sure of yourself,” she commented. Erik just smirked. He shifted the car into drive and they were off. Spotting a tail in high traffic was a little more difficult, but it wasn’t impossible. Erik flickered his eyes towards the rearview mirror a few times along the drive. One other problem with big cities was the chance of having the same models of car cross a person’s path more than once. Amateurs would often get spooked by what appeared to be the same car following them. It was a bigger hassle to deal with when states didn’t require a front license plate.

As Erik divided his attention, systematically, he noted that there was indeed no particular car following them. However, he wasn’t about to let out a sigh of relief, and he still took a winding route through the city to the point that Angel started to send him looks,  as if she were fairly certain that Erik had no idea where he was going. He tried to keep the smarmy grin off of his face as he drove. For the most part, however, Angel kept her mouth sealed as she just watched him maneuver along the streets.

Once at his apartment Erik saw a familiar car parked out front, and he also saw a very familiar blonde female leaning against it with what looked like another pan of whatever Raven had decided to make. Erik glanced over at Angel, who gave him a dark stare, she folded her arms under her chest. He parked in his usual spot and leapt from his seat.

“Raven, why are you here?” he asked. Erik shifted his body so that he was in between Raven and Angel and yet could still keep his eyes on both of them. Charles’ baby sister looked at him confused for a few moments before she held up the pan and waved it a little bit.

“I brought you dinner. It’s been two weeks, and I’ve only gotten a handful of texts,” Raven stated. “And who’s this? A friend, like Alex?”

“Alex?” Angel spoke up.

“Yes, in a way. This is Angel, she needed a place to stay,” Erik offered up the best truth he could give Raven.

“So, you’re letting her stay with you,” Raven spoke slowly. As she did, her fingers curled over the edges of the pan.

“She has nowhere else to go,” Erik reiterates. Raven looks from him and then to Angel and he can see it as she tries to figure out if Angel is anything more to Erik. Of course Angel is doing the same thing, all whilst trying to figure out if Erik wanted her to be the other woman. He almost wanted to ask Raven if she’d put up with Angel, except Raven is still Charles’ little sister. The one person Charles would gush about.

“Then I guess you need this more than you did before,” Raven said. She held the pan out towards his chest. Erik fumbled a little before pulling the casserole closer to him. For the most part he felt a little bad for allowing Raven to believe whatever it is she believed, yet he wasn’t about to invite her to stay. Not while his had a client along with him. Except, Raven tilted her head down and he knew exactly what she was doing. He opened his mouth a couple times before he let out a growl.

“Would you like to come in?” he asked. Raven jerked her head up, looking at him incredulously. Her own mouth started to work opening and closing before she sent a look towards Angel. He didn’t know what she saw; he kept his gaze firmly on Raven. But she nodded slowly, unsure.

“Yeah,” she agreed. Raven was trying to bridge the gap, Erik shifted uncomfortable as he lead the two women into the loft. As he moved along the stairs Raven wrapped one of her hands around his wrist and held on tight. She tossed a look over her should and smiled with an edge. “Angel, just make yourself comfortable on the couch.” Her grip tightened briefly. Erik glanced back at Angel to see that the other woman was just smiling at him, as if she thought he was about to get reamed for other reasons.

Raven pulled him towards the kitchen, and Erik allowed her. If she wanted to have it out, then he was going to oblige her even though he’d prefer not to. She waited until he had set down the pan and turned back to her before beginning. Over her shoulder Angel was settling herself in the chair for the best vantage point. “Who is she really?” Raven snapped. “You say she’s a friend who needs a place to stay, but she doesn’t have any bags!”

“She had to leave quickly. Abusive ex,” Erik answered. He was fairly certain planning to kill their ex-girlfriend constituted as an abusive ex. If not, Erik was pretty sure it had better be. Raven glared at him.

“And how do you know her? Same mysterious way you know Alex? Is Alex one of your lovers? Was Charles just one in a long line of broken hearts you like to leave?” she demanded. Erik slammed his hands against the counter top. Five years and he still felt like he’d been socked in the stomach whenever people accused him of wronging Charles.

“I don’t have a lover,” Erik said lowly. He felt like he was on edge, just as if he were about to tip over into violence. The moment Raven’s eyes caught sight of his expression she turned her head and looked at the ground. She let out a shuddering breath.

“I shouldn’t have said that. I know you wouldn’t be like that. Charles could never like a person who would do that.”

“It’s fine,” Erik gritted out. He wanted the conversation over and gone before he felt the actual need to hit someone or something.

“No! It’s not! I’m sorry, it’s just you’re back and I thought I dealt with all of this, but it’s like seeing you,” she whispered. Erik nodded his head. Her voice cut into him, like some sort of assassin’s knife digging into his flesh.

“Is like living with his ghost,” he replied. Her blue eyes clung to him and tears stared at the corners. Launching herself forward, Raven wrapped her arms around his waist. Her fingers dug into his shirt.

“That’s why I don’t visit often or demand you get drinks with me. I’m sorry I’m horrible, but I can’t stop thinking about how often he talked about you. How in love he was, but he tried to pretend you were just some friend at work.” Erik kept his mouth shut; he couldn’t tell her he was relieved that she didn’t come around often. Instead, he rubbed her back and pressed a kiss to her crown.

“I know,” he said softly. 

 

*

 

Raven stayed after dinner, and basically glued herself to his side, her fingers digging into the gray t-shirt he wore. Erik wasn’t sure if it was Raven clinging to his side or something else the kept Angel shooting looks his way. She’d settled herself on the couch and kept looking at him while Raven continued telling him about her job at the gallery and how he should meet some of her coworkers. He reminded himself over and over again that Raven was lonely and that she was also sorry about abandoning him, though she actually hadn’t. She boxed up the leftovers and clicked her tongue when she saw a few yogurt cups and a couple beers.

“You need more food, Erik,” Raven told him. “I would buy you some, but I don’t know when I’ll have time to come here and drop it off. There is also the fact that I never know where you are or what you’re doing.” She gave him a pointed look.

“I was under the impression your needling for what I do was over with when you stopped asking me over the phone,” Erik quipped. Raven snorted, and for a moment it felt like they were back on the normal ground.

“I’m never going to stop, and someday you’re going to slip up and let me know something. You’re not as good as you think you are!” she warned. Erik wanted to choke as he remembered those very words from someone else. Red lips stretched into a smile and the smell of the bar as the words traveled over the air, over all the laughter. _You’re not as good as you think you are, 007_.

No, he thought, I’m better.

Erik shook the memory from his mind before he covered it all up with a laugh. Raven looked at him, a frown covering her features before she settled her hands on his face. When she pulled at him, Erik bowed down enough that she could press her lips against his forehead.

“Take care Erik, and maybe make some time in your busy schedule to take me out for coffee so I can complain to you about my job and how old men stare at me. Maybe then you can threaten to break their fingers, or something?” she offered. Erik’s laugh turned genuine.

“Sounds like a plan. After I get Angel settled and everything figured out, I’ll take you up on that okay?”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Raven,” Erik agreed. She dropped her hands from his face and then wrapped her arms around him.

“I’m holding you to it!” she informed him.

“I would expect nothing less from an Xavier.”  

 

 

*

 

Erik hated missions that hinged on getting along with his partner. It wasn’t that he couldn’t work with others, he could if he focused hard on not stepping on everyone’s toes. More of it, he just worked better alone. He wouldn’t begrudge a handler, those were actually rather useful for the most part, but another _spy_ was a completely different affair. Most other spies liked to work alone, just like he did, and they made it known that they’d prefer to do it their way. Erik had a tendency to lean towards wanting to stab those people in the throat with a broken glass. Still orders were orders, and Erik was told to meet his new partner at the assigned address.

The building was one of the usual types that were preferred to house operatives temporarily. They were always nice enough not to be visited by the _wrong_ sorts of people, but not nice enough to warrant too many questions. His superiors must’ve told the doorman what he looked like because the man just pushed open the door and gave a sharp nod, one which Erik had returned. He took the stairs; elevators bothered him ever since Berlin. It’d be a hang up he’d hide when he met with his partner, but while he was alone he would keep himself as comfortable as possible.

Erik reached the fourth floor without losing too much steam. Instead he just pushed strands of his hair back into place before fixing his clothing. The physical exertion had been more to settle his mind, but it could and would come off to another operative as five thousand different things. His knuckles met the wood in front of him three times before he took a step back and waited. It didn’t take long for the door to swing open and for Erik to be pinned by the bluest of eyes he’d seen in a while. The man was a few inches shorter than him with floppy brown hair and red lips that were pulled into a wide smile.

“You must be Erik Sullivan,” the man greeted. He held out one hand. “I’m Charles Robertson, it wasn’t a question that was often asked of him.

“I don’t tell all on the first date,” he replied. Charles Robertson let out a laugh, but he stepped back and allowed Erik into the apartment none the less. He would’ve made a comment towards how trusting Charles seemed, but he kept it to himself since Charles never turned his back to him. Instead, the shorter man settled on the couch and grinned at him.

“I was told you weren’t exactly the easiest to work with, not impossible, but not the easiest,” Charles commented. The way he lounged on the couch allowed Erik to actually look over the other man. He wasn’t quite startled by the frumpy clothing, which made the other man look more like a university professor than a trained operative. It actually made sense to dress down. Erik was fairly certain that the clothing was meant to be more of a way to hide the muscle Mr. Robertson had. The man was hiding in plain sight, an act that probably spoke to his skills. Erik, himself, preferred to wear clothing that people would only glance over, clothing that wasn’t ill-fitted, but nothing that was tailored to his form, unless the job needed it. People paid attention to well-dressed people and those who looked like they dressed in the dark. “So, Mr. Sullivan did they bequeath you with the needed information or do you need to confirm that you did indeed find me?”

“I’m supposed to make sure you are indeed who you say you are and then I’m allowed to share the information,” Erik answered.

“So you have it on you then?”

“I never said that.”

“Do you?”

“That would be too honest.”

“As to if you have it or not?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, carry on. Prove if I’m me,” Charles waved a hand in his direction. He still sat on the couch comfortably, but Erik could see the beginnings of tension lines in his body. He was ready for Erik to be also a turncoat as well. Good then, Erik mused, at least they were on the same page. He checks his criteria before nodding.

“It appears you are who you say you are, at least to a point,” Erik said. He pocketed the screen and gave Charles a brief bob of the head. The shorter man motioned his hand lazily towards the seat across from the couch.

“Take a seat, I assume the briefing will be a long one,” Charles said. Erik took a moment to glance around the room.

“Do you have a laptop we can use?”

“You didn’t bring one with you?”

“If I had and you were an unwanted third party it would’ve only gotten in the way.” Charles ‘hmmmm’ed before he gave another wide smile. He pointed towards another room.

“On the dining room table, I was doing work before you came by,” he said.

“Work?” Erik asked.

“You’re not the only one who doesn’t want to be too forward on the first date,” Charles teased.

“Very well then.” He walked towards the room Charles had directed him towards, hyper sensitive to every movement Charles could make, yet the other man merely stayed on the couch. The only noise to come from him was the sound of shifting clothing as Charles watched him navigate through the apartment.

 

“Well, we seem to be getting along better than I thought,” Charles called from the couch. Erik turned about.

“We’ve yet to even get into the mission. I’ll hold my bets until then,” he replied.

“Ah, so you’re the type to see if you can still stand the person after the main entrée. I am down right startled by that. I thought you were more of a small talk and then out.” Erik was fairly certain he was being teased.

“I can’t say no to free food,” he replied. The shorter man laughed.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. “So, what do they want us to do?”

“Job's pretty easy it looks like, I’m guessing something is up if they want two of us to go in on this.”

“Sounds that easy?”

“Easier, which means,” Erik trailed off.

“There are some blank spots in their information, of course they won’t tell us it because if we fail then we’re the incompetent ones.”

“Right. You do these missions often?”

“No, not my usual cup of tea. I'm often on solo missions, though, on a rare occasion, I get a handler for the tougher ones.”

“Three times, each time my partner decided that their idea was better and we ended up screwing each other up.”

“Sounds like fun. No wonder you looked like you were sucking lemons. Though, are you trying to tell me something, Sullivan?” Charles asked, he titled his head to the side.

“Just know that if you decide to go off and do your own thing, I’m going to make sure you regret it,” he answered.

“And I’ll assume if I’m a good boy, I’ll get a treat?”

“We’ll see.”

“Oh, I think I might just hold you to that,” Charles said with a wide grin. 


	5. Hate Me Tomorrow

“She has you wrapped around her fingers. Are you sure she isn’t your girl?” Angel asked. She watched him warily as he moved around the loft. Once Raven had left, the tension Angel held in her shoulders had intensified until all she did was watch him closely as he went through the motions of getting her bed together.

“No and yes.” Erik pulled the extra sheets out from the closet.

“Then you are gay. At first I thought you were just trying to pretend to be chivalrous to me because your girlfriend was around. What is she, your little sister?”

“Something like that,” Erik answered the last bit.

“Is she your guy’s little sister,” Angel prodded. Erik had to force himself to keep moving. If he didn’t stop then she wouldn’t know the truth, people looked for cues and he wasn’t about to give Angel information that she didn’t need, or really even deserve. “That your bed?” She gestured towards the couch where he was tucking the sheets under the cushions.

“It’s yours.”

“Hell no. I’m not sleeping on that. Don’t you have a rollaway or an extra bedroom? You’re supposed to be this high-profile-whatever, so you should have the dough.” 

“I don’t usually plan for clients to have a sleep over at my place. It’s yours unless you have a friend who will be willing to house you.” Angel scowled at him.

“What about your bed?”

“I’m sleeping in it.”

“That’s fine. You’re gay, it won’t be weird.”

“No, I don’t sleep when other people are in my bed.” Five years he’d spent sleeping absolutely alone, and before that he’d only had a bed partner some of the times when Charles in the same country as him. Erik pushed the thought far, far away. 

“I’m not sleeping on your couch.”

“You’re not sleeping in my bed either.”

“What about your whatever-she-is-to-you? Does she have an extra bed?” Angel asked. She stomped towards him, her feet making a ridiculous amount of noise so much so that Erik was rather glad that he really didn’t have neighbors. He stepped forward and she glared at him.

“She has a couch. Like me,” Erik reasoned. He couldn’t let Angel actually stay with Raven, it would put the both of them in too much danger.

“She okay with sharing beds?”

“I’m fine with sharing beds.” Raven’s voice came up behind him. Erik whirled around to see Raven standing by his open front door with her bag in her hands. “Sorry I was just, I forgot my bag and you hadn’t locked the door yet.” He blinked; he couldn’t believe he had been so off his mark that he hadn’t heard his front door open. Turning back at Angel he saw the grin spread over her face. The stomping made a little more sense then; Erik gave a low growl.

“It’s dangerous,” he muttered. “No.”

“Why not?” Raven asked.

“She has a psychotic ex-boyfriend. I can’t, I don’t want you to be in the midst of that,” Erik tried to reason. He knew the second the words came out of his mouth that Raven wasn’t going to take well to that. She puffed up and puckered her lips before folding her arms over her chest and stared at him.

“I am fairly sure that her boyfriend won’t even think to look at some random female’s apartment for his ex-girlfriend!” Raven snapped.

“She’s got a point. He’s not gonna look for me at her place. I don’t even think she puts one of her dainty little feet in my pool,” Angel said, jerking her thumb towards Raven.  Still at the door, Raven let out an irritated sound but she didn’t say anything. Instead she glowered at the both of them.

“No.” Erik stated. Angel looked decidedly unimpressed and Raven’s face was getting to be a shade of red.

“Erik!” Raven yelled. She moved forward and grabbed at his shirt. She pulled him to face her, and he let her twisting his body towards her. “Why not?”

“It’s dangerous.”

“I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”

“Raven.”

“Erik.” She tried to stare him down. Her hands were no longer on his shirt and instead they rested on her hips. “Let me help you.”

“Not. With. This.” He gritted out. She puckered her lips before giving off a growl. Erik wasn’t sure why Angel was keeping away from it, he was fairly certain she would’ve been the type to put her two cents in. Seeing as she had nearly done it non-stop since he’d met her.

“I’ll stop prying! I promise. I won’t ask you why you have bruises or why you smell like gasoline, like Charles sometimes did. Whenever you need me to hide something I’ll just do it. I won’t ask,” Raven offered.

“Why now?” he asked.

“Because she wants to be a Good Samaritan, why do you have to be all paranoid?” Angel piped up like he had been waiting for. He ignored the other woman; her opinion at that very moment mattered very little the overall scheme of things.

“Because I want to help. Because I never got to help with _him_ ,” Raven replied quietly.

“It won’t be safe, which is why we never asked you to help!”

“Yeah, okay, we get it, you’re big bad and protective, but think of it this way,” Angel broke into the conversation again, “You’ll tell her no. She’ll wait somewhere at a distance and I’ll sneak out or just haul ass outside to stay with her because I am not sleeping on that damn couch. Okay?” Erik actually looked over his shoulder to see the dead serious face of Angel staring him down as well still. He was in a losing battle with two stubborn mules and despite being fully certain he was in the right, he knew they thought he was very much in the wrong.

“Fine, but you call me when you get to your apartment and then when you wake up. If anything strange seems to be going on you call me and then hide. Leave the phone on,” he ordered. Raven’s face immediately brightened and she wrapped her arms around his waist pressing herself close against his chest as she whispered her thanks against the fabric.

“I’ll be extremely careful!” She leaned away and grabbed for Angel’s arm and the other woman went easily with her.

“See you later, Hot Stuff.” Angel waved at him. It wasn’t until the door shut firmly did Erik let out a breath. He was a mixture of irritated and relieved that he no longer had to babysit Angel is such close proximity, however instead he had to watch over two girls while still finding out how to fix everything. He rubbed at his skin before he flopped down on his own couch. It took him a few moments of wiggling and stretching before he pull his cellphone out and dialed Alex.

“You and Moira set up those security cameras at Raven’s place already?” he asked the moment he heard Alex pick up.

“You are fucking creepy at times, but yeah,” Alex answered.

“Turn them on and keep them recording.”

“Why?” Alex wasn’t quite on his payroll, he couldn’t tell the kid to shut up and just do as he said, so instead he let out another puff of air and tilted his head back.

“Raven has my new client at her place. Don’t ask how, but we just need to make sure that nothing bad happens to her.”

“Shit. Uh, sure you want me to call Moira about this fuck up or keep it quiet.”

“Moira isn’t my boss, if _I_ want to tell her _I_ will,” Erik growled.

“Understood.”

“I’ll need you bright and early tomorrow. We’re doing reconnaissance.” 

“Hey, I never said I was part of your team!”

“Summers, denial does more harm than good, and I’ll tell you why Angel is with Raven. Just not tonight.” Erik offered a small olive branch. He didn’t want to fight with another stubborn mule after butting heads with two of them.

“Fine. I’ll admit you being back is kind of making my life all the more enjoyable and less 9 to 5ish. Moira in on this one too?”

“We’ll see if we need her. If so, then yes.”

“She’ll be pissed you kept her out of it.”

“She gave me the client her involvement can end the second I get the case.”

“Does she know this?”

“She should. She’s a professional. She can’t complain as long as she gets a cut.” His phone beeped in his ear telling him he had a message. “I’ll talk to you in the morning Alex.”

“Yeah, okay.” Erik pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the message icon on the display. It stayed happily taunting him with the idea that his stalker had once more contacted him.

 **Interesting tactic you have there, housing the mark other places, can’t fully approve but can’t complain either. Probably best decision. Ex seems to be agitated but hasn’t moved in on the apartment**.

Erik sneered at the screen as his stomach lurched at the thought of someone watching him so closely that he hadn’t even noticed a follower. He felt sick to his stomach as he stumbled off of his bed. It was impossible to get that much of a jump on him. To be that close and listening to everything he’d been talking to with Raven, to watch his house. Shutting all of his windows, Erik’s mind catalogued all the people he’d seen and met while he and Angel had spoken. 

His phone buzzed again in his hand, he didn’t even wait to open the message. **Don’t think the ex will wait much longer b4 storming. Might make it priority**. Erik stared, his jaw ticked. What he couldn’t believe was that he’d lost his touch any percent enough to allow some _stranger_ to get that close to him. His fingers twitched as he hesitated before shooting off a message back to the number asking why in the hell he should trust the person.

 **Have I steered you wrong? Don’t reply. Keep this 1 way.** Erik almost wanted to reply to the anonymous person just out of spite. He gritted his teeth, and relaxed his grip. The only reason he would follow the other man’s advice in going in early was because he’d already decided he was going to do it. He sent one last message asking whoever if they thought he was an idiot who needed step by step instructions.

The response wasn’t instantaneous **;** instead Erik had to wait five minutes before he got the reply. **No just giving out info as I come by it. Was sure u would follow up anyway. Cutting your recon mission in ½.** Erik tossed the phone on his bed and dragged his hand through his hair. His friend was chatty it seemed.

Who in the hell would help him though, Erik wondered. His brushed his bangs away from his eyes, his body still tight and coiled. What he needed to do was relax, but the knowledge of someone else so close to him but good enough to slip him was too unnerving, however, if he didn’t at least somewhat relax he would wake up with a headache the same that often led to Charles sitting behind him and whispering how he’d make it all better.

 

*

 

“You’ve been wincing all day. What on earth is troubling you now?” Charles demanded hotly. He was leaning against a veranda staring down at the people below them. Reconnaissance at its best, looking like you weren’t really looking. Charles was good at it, but Erik was better. People looked at Charles, Erik explained once over drink, which the blue eyed man laughed at and said he was rather sure people looked at Erik.

“Just my head, nothing new,” Erik replied. He’d tried coffee and other means of knocking the stabbing pain down, but a night of stress and anger had done its toll on his body leaving him achy and with a monster headache.

“Take anything for it? Oh, don’t glower at me, it’s a decent question!”

“Yes, but like usual they aren’t helping.” Charles hummed before walking away from the railing. He settled down on the edge of one of the queen beds and crooked a finger in Erik’s direction.

“Come here then.”

“What?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” Charles retorted. Erik arched his brow but he eventually moved towards the other spy. He was rather reluctant to put his back to another trained professional, except it was Charles and if he hadn’t killed him for their first five missions he wasn’t about to break the streak right then. “You are quite paranoid, my friend,” Charles commented. He placed his hands a few inches above where Erik’s shoulders would be before giving him a wry grin.

Erik folded his long legs and sat down, though he kept his back military straight as Charles began to dig his fingers into his shoulders. Even when Charles tried to manipulate his muscles, all Erik kept feeling was a twinge and needle points from his headache with each press and roll of a finger. After the first five minutes, Erik moved away from Charles and his hands, waving the other man away.

“It’s not working,” he growled.

“Well no, it’s not, seeing as you need to breathe and, oh, it would be nice if you would relax. Though I did hear that sex works wonders on headaches,” Charles offered up with a cheeky grin.

“Are you offering?” Erik shot back. He watched the man closely as he shifted on top of the covers, his fingers sliding along the creases and rises of the fabric.

“Are you interested?” he parried. Erik stepped forward once more; he felt a little more tentative about it than he thought he would but as he looked at Charles lying out on the bed like some sort of feast he couldn’t tear his eyes away from.

“It would be dangerous.” Charles nodded his head.

“Yes, but I’m not suggesting that we sleep together while the mission is still of utmost importance.”

“I didn’t know that you were suggesting it at all,” Erik replied. Charles smiled; he tilted his head slightly to the side, resting his jaw along his palm.

“Well, I could be, I suppose, if you want to see it that way.” Charles’ other hand rested on his upper thigh in such a manner that someone could assume it just landed there, but Erik was fairly certain there was nothing accidental about anything Charles did. They were rather alike in that way. Erik took a few more steps forward before he leaned down and placed a hand precariously close to Charles’ inner thigh; the shorter man shivered a little.

“And if I were to take you up on that offer?” he asked.

“The one to relieve your headache? Hmm, well I do believe I would be an insufferable partner if I didn’t _help_ you out,” Charles replied. Erik dipped low his face a brief few inches away from Charles’ before he pulled back and tutted his tongue.

“I think I’ll just take a few more pills with a nice class of scotch and call it a night,” he whispered. Charles’ eyes darkened, if only slightly, before he gave a slow smile.

“Of course.”

 

*

 

Angel picked up at the third ring and then proceeded to hold a conversation with Raven for the next three minutes. Erik tried not to grind his teeth, but from the amused look Alex kept giving him from the passenger seat of the car, he was fairly certain the irritation was more than apparent. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and let out a low deep breath.

“What do you need?” Angel finally asked.

“Your keys, I need to search your apartment to see if I can find whatever it is you ex thinks you stole from him. That’ll make both of our lives easier,” Erik replied.

“Well, I am eating with Raven at the moment, maybe you could swing by, have a coffee?” Angel answered.

“You have your keys on you?” A large part of him had hoped that she would end up saying that she didn’t know where her keys were after the rush to get away from the park, except keys would be easier than any picklock or other ways that he could try to get into the apartment.

“Of course I do. Are you going to come get them?” she asked. Erik gritted his teeth.

“I suppose that’s the only way I’ll be getting your keys without a fuss?”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it. Though why do you want them?”

“Cleaner entry,” Erik answered. To his left Alex snorted, only to immediately shut up when Erik sent him a glare.

“Okay then, since you want to do it the easier way, come have coffee with us.” Erik raised his gaze skyward for a few moments before returning them to the road before him.

“I will arrive at the coffee shop, I will not have coffee with _you_ , and instead I will fix the problem you’ve found yourself in.” One the other end, Angel laughed.

“Sounds like a good plan, do you need the address?”

“I am assuming you’re at Raven’s favorite place, and I’ll be there in fifteen.”

“If you were a normal person I’d say you were creepy for that, but seeing as you’re all-around creepy this isn’t news.” Erik ignored the comment and instead hit the end call button before he tossed it to Alex.

“We going to go see your client?” Alex asked, right after he juggled the phone.

“Unfortunately yes, she has her keys with her.”

“So, you’re not going to use one of your specialized skills to break in?”

“No, and before you ask it’s because I’m not sure how nosey her neighbors are, and it could very well be that getting into her apartment would end up leaving marks as well as making noises,” Erik answered. Alex didn’t say anything, but Erik assumed the buzzing noise his phone made had pulled the man’s attention from their conversation at hand. Out of the corner of his eye, Erik watched as Alex accepted the text.

“Who the fuck is this?” Alex asked. Erik knew the moment who it was from the moment Alex reacted as such, yet instead of getting defensive, Erik took a cooling breath before he asked.

“What does it say?”

“‘Still clear. No sign, but time’s not on your side.’ Who the hell is this?” Alex asked once more.

“An,” Erik paused, “old friend.”

“That doesn’t want to kill you?” Erik kept his mouth shut because in complete honesty he had no idea what the anonymous texter wanted; in the end he could be just trying to create a trust base until the time of betrayal was necessary. Erik clenched his jaw once more and refocused to the road before him and the cars along with it.

Alex seemed to think he could just stare the answer out of him, but eventually the younger man set the phone back down in his lap and tapped along the screen. Within the silence, Erik realized how very fidgety Alex could be. It almost reminded him of the wiry little kid that had followed him around demanding to be of at least some help. The same little kid who’s big brother was AWOL.

“So, do you want me to reply to your friend?” Alex finally asked.

“No.” Alex kept quiet after that, except for a few grumbles up until they parked near the café and Alex began to mutter how it was out of their way. Erik ignored him for the most part, though there were parts of him that did indeed agree that talking to Angel and Raven could very well add more time than they needed. However, Erik preferred the clean entry as opposed to the scratches lock picks made.

Raven was the first one to see him, her face lighting up like it was some sort of present to have him near, all while Angel just gave him a smirk. Erik didn’t return either expression, instead he just moved towards the two women before he held out a hand.

“You’re not staying?” Raven asked.

“No, I have to finish something things that will help Angel out of the bind she’s in.” Erik stated. Raven made an o with her mouth before she gave a short little nod.

“Okay.” Erik frowned and turned to Raven only to see her trying to engage in a conversation via her phone. He had almost expected her to demand to know why he couldn’t spare a few moments, but then maybe she had taken her promise to heart. Angel rather looked like she’d sucked on something a little sour, but she handed over her keys nonetheless.

“The one with the blue end is the key you want,” she said.

“Thank you. Hopefully we can clear this up,” Erik said quietly. Angel nodded. Just as he turned to walk back out, Erik had the distinct urge to tell Angel that antagonizing someone who was trying to help her wasn’t the best way to make friends, yet he stopped and let out a puff of air. In the end arguing with Angel would probably lead her sliding further into his life, and he was rather ready to get rid of Angel’s presence in his life. Erik was almost out of the café when he heard Angel speak up. As he swiveled he saw she was by the door hands curled around it like it was some sort of protective shield.

“Hey. You know I’m giving you shit because I think she deserves better, right?”

“And who are you to decide what Raven does or does not deserve?” Erik shot back. Angel let out a deep sigh and let go of the door.

“Okay, I was first being a shit to you because I didn’t think a pretty boy like you could handle Joey and his crew, and then I saw her and I was pretty sure you were fucking around on her. Then she goes and outs you while I’m staying with her, telling me about how her brother was so in love with you, but when she needed someone after his death you bolted. I know this isn’t my place, but you got to get your fucking shit together and be there for her this time,” she explained. Erik blinked.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because I don’t want you to half-ass on my case, and you know what, for a privileged girl she isn’t bad at all.” Clicking his teeth together Erik wished harder than ever Charles was there, that he would just take Angel aside and pretend to, or maybe actually, understand her plight. He would’ve given her a pat on the arm and then they’d be on their way to fix the mess.

“We’re not okay, this, whatever you’re trying to do, doesn’t make it okay. I am not going to tell you it is fine. Instead you’re going to go back in there hang out with Raven and you won’t say a thing about our conversation,” Erik told her. Angel puffed up.

“Why would I do that?” she challenged. Erik towered over her.

“Because when the time comes and the final decision is going to be made, I am either going to ask you what you’d rather have done or I will just do it,” he promised. Angel stepped back a moment before she tipped her head up towards him and glared.

“Fine. You need to work on your people skills,” she spat out. Erik took a step back and waved her off. Alex was standing beside the car fiddling with his own phone; Erik’s phone was safely settled in his own pocket. 

“You get what you need?” Alex inquired.

“Yes, are you up to being the getaway driver if it comes to it?” Erik tucked the keys into his pocket and walked around the vehicle to get into the passenger seat.

“I won’t have a problem with that.” Alex tried to reassure him.

“Mess up my car,” Erik began.

“I know, I’ll end up either fixing it or getting you a new one. Though can I ask you why a Dodge Avenger?”

“I like it,” Erik answered. Alex sent him an unreadable expression before he returned his attentions back to the task at hand. Erik pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at the text. All the Alex had said was on the screen, nothing more or less just a few words. He itched to know who it was sending him messages, but he ached more to know why he’d been burned. He wasn’t a bad operative; even after Charles he had pulled it all together. He hadn’t been complete but he’d managed and he still worked through it all to be one of the best agents they’d had.

Forty-eight minutes later Erik was walking towards Angel’s apartment door, with Alex waiting behind with a hand on the call button if anyone looked like they were going to try for her door. He felt like there were eyes pinned to his back causing a slight itch in between his shoulder blades. Turning his head slightly, Erik tried to look for his stalker, though if the man was half as decent as Erik suspected him of being there was no way that he’d stick out. Still the quick survey allowed him a few moments of comfort. If it was his stalker then it wasn’t one of Joey’s crew watching him. Erik would take what he could get.

 Thankfully, Angel’s door wasn’t sticky or really the kind that gave him much of any trouble. There wasn’t even a creak as the door swung open. Erik stepped into the apartment, taking in all the sights. Angel appeared to be relatively neat. Her dishes were put on, only a few bills lying about on the table, and her shoes were all neatly tucked next to the wall on top of a rug. Closing the door behind him, Erik tapped his fingers along his thigh as his eyes passed over the floor. Nothing seemed out of place, which meant whatever it was, was small enough to go under one of Angel’s end tables or even her couch. Except, he reasoned, that was only if he assumed the fight had occurred in the front room.

He turned and moved towards the tiny cubby that was pretending to be a kitchen, his eyes glued to the floor. Angel had apparently dropped a few pennies on the ground, most likely from when she’d gotten some groceries. Slowly, Erik made his way through the rest of her apartment, it was mostly unhelpful that he wasn’t completely sure of what the object was—then again Angel had no idea either. There was part of him that itched to confront Joey face to face, but the less he was around the gangs the easier it would be for him to slip in between the cracks. He made his surface sweep through twice more before he got onto his belly and started looking under things, after a quick text to Angel asking her if she had a flashlight in her place. She’d replied with an affirmative and given him the exact location with only a tiny bit of sass in response. Either she had realized what position he had, or something else was going on. Erik shook the thought from his head; if it did end up with Angel screwing him over, well then she’d learn why people rarely fucked with him.

Erik reached under the couch, flat on his stomach and stretching his limb as far as it would go before he touched _something_. Pulling back, his hand still flat but with enough pressure the tiny object came willingly, he let out a puff of breath when he saw what it was.

A thumbdrive.

Erik let out a small bark of laughter before he pressed his back against Angel’s scarred coffee table. He rolled the thing between his fingers and titled his head back. There were times when his entire mission hinged on the data covered on something like that. Tucking it into his back pocket Erik felt his phone vibrate for a few moments. A text. He pulled it from his pocket. Company _._ The words stayed stark against his screen for a few moments before they were disrupted by Alex’s call. He did have company then. Ever since the moment at Gregory and Lisa’s place, he’d always looked to make sure a window escape was doable. He pressed against the thumbdrive in his pocket, making sure it was still there. Shoving up the window he slid his lower half through before following through with his upper body. Just as he cleared the window the door slammed open.

“Honey! I’m home!” a voice called out. Erik ducked below the window. The window he was beside wasn’t in the direct line of sight from the door; he’d picked it for that reason, as well as it being a safe way to get down. But he stayed still, back against the building wall and breath even. There was the small fact that Erik wasn’t positive what he had in his front pocket was actually what Joey wanted. Maybe Angel was taking some college classes or maybe she’d have a thumbdrive for other reasons. He wanted to be sure.

His phone buzzed once more, and Erik looked down to see it was Alex once more. Silencing the call, Erik waited until it was done before he sent off a message to the blond, telling him that he was fine, and that he was just going to sit and listen. Alex’s response was quick and angry, but Erik ignored it for the most part and instead tried to listen for any sounds above the trashing of the apartment. There was no crowing in excitement or yells that they may have found something, instead the voice started to rise higher and higher.

“That fucking bitch!” the voice shouted. Erik smirked to himself and patted his pocket, it looked like he may have just been lucky with his find. He waited until he heard whom he assumed was Joey march past the window and into Angel’s bedroom. It was the sounds of opening drawers that set him off. Erik assumed Joey thought Angel had hidden the thumbdrive away somewhere. Making his way back towards the car, Erik saw Alex pale faced and wide eyed in the driver’s seat. He slapped the top of the hood before he leaned down and smirked.

“We need to get to Moira’s.”

“How did you know?” Alex responded with instead. He looked up at Erik and there was a slight twinge of worry within his eyes. “How did you know that you needed to get out? I called but you didn’t answer.” Erik thought on it for a few minutes, rolling through multiple answers as he walked around the car and settled in the seat. By the end of it all, he made his decision.

“My _friend_.”

“What so, this mysterious friend is watching you? What the fuck is going on Erik?” Alex demanded. Erik tipped his head back slightly and let out a puff of air. Placing a hand to his temple he rubbed at his head, intent on getting the newly forming headache from becoming a full blown pain.

“Just trust me on this one,” he growled out.

“Trust you? Last time I trusted you, Erik, a whole shit ton of people died and I was left wondering what the fuck I was doing!”

 

*

 

He awoke on the plane disoriented but there was a familiar weight against his chest and shoulder as well as the crown of a familiar head with floppy brown hair. Though even in his groggy state Erik knew something was off. He threaded his fingers clumsily through Charles’ hair only to be pierced by the blue eyes turning on him. His hand stilled, fingers still tangled in the hair.

“You’re an idiot,” Charles muttered.

“Why do you say that, Professor?” Erik asked. He felt slightly disconnected and rather lost, but that merely meant that someone, namely Charles, had drugged him.

“Because you would’ve gotten yourself killed over a kid and might I add you’re always the one talking about how you don’t get attached. I’m sorry, love, but I think this one tugged at your heart strings,” Charles retorted. Erik didn’t reply, instead he pulled Charles closer and pressed his lips against the top of the man’s head. Charles was right; he had been stupid—blinded by memories of his own childhood before Shaw had decided he was going to keep some punk teenager.

“Sorry,” he whispered after a few moments of silence.

“Just, don’t do it again, okay? I don’t think I could handle you leaving me forever,” Charles replied just as quietly.

“I’m starting to think you’re falling in love with me,” Erik teased. The expression Charles gave him in return stopped his teasing smile right in its tracks, collapsing it without another word. “Charles.” He breathed out. His thumb dragged along his face, dancing over the freckles that splattered along his cheekbone.

“Don’t,” Charles huffed. He shook his head. “Don’t say anything. When we touch down, we’re going to my apartment and then we can talk all you want to.” Erik nodded. He could wait; Charles’ eyes begged him to wait. He could do that for Charles. Instead he brushed the hair away ftomm Charles’ forehead and smiled down.

“Alright.” He didn’t say anything more and instead he let Charles take care of him and debrief him on all that happened; he tried to keep his attentions away from the scared little blond boy who had trusted him.

 

 

*

 

“Just tell me what’s on that thing.” Erik passed the device off to Moira as he headed towards her fridge. For the most part he ignored even as she threw one of her Reese’s Pieces at the back of his head, and instead focused on retrieving one of the many beers she had in her fridge.

“I’m not your information center, Sullivan!” Moira snapped. She threw a couple more of the candies at his back, until Erik reached in her freezer and chucked an ice cube her way, which ended the food fight with a shriek and a few choice names.  Once more Alex had placed himself on the couch and out of their crossfire and had given them only a passing glance before he returned to his angry brooding. Erik ignored him as well for the most part. Unfortunately Moira did not. “What’s wrong with the boy wonder?” she asked.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“No, he’s trying to emulate you, I think this either calls for an explanation,” Moira stated. Erik leveled her a single look, but didn’t speak. They kept the silence for a few minutes, neither one of them backing down before Alex let out a tired groan.

“Erik has a mysterious friend who knows wherever the fuck he is!” Alex shouted. “And he likes to pretend that he can handle it.”

“Your friend is still around?” Moira asked.

“Yes.”

“Any mention of me?”

“None whatsoever.”

“You knew about his friend?” Alex demanded. Erik and Moira turned their heads in Alex direction.

“I know of the first time he was contacted, how often does this _friend_ contact you, Erik?” she asked.

“It’s not important, I am handling it.” Moira folded her arms over her chest and just stared at him, her lips pursing ever so slightly. “Just tell me why Joey needs that and why he would go after it alone.”

“Why wouldn’t he go after it alone?” Moira asked.

“Guys like Joey, they like to prove that they are in control and with how Angel is, he’d want to have his boys with him to make sure she didn’t feel comfortable. He thought she was there, but he still went in alone.”

“So, you’re theorizing that whatever he lost, he wasn’t supposed to have?” Moira prodded.

“It’s what makes the most sense. If he really thought Angel was going to fuck over his crew he wouldn’t protect her by getting it by himself,” Erik reasoned. Moira looked at the device in her hand for a few moments.

“Alright, I’ll look at it. Oh, and don’t think our conversation about your messenger is over.”

“I wouldn’t imagine it would be.” Moira made an amused noise in response. Her fingers clicked along the keys and her attention was already firmly on the display in front of her. While she was busy Erik moved away and closer towards Alex, whom was fuming. The blond boy glanced his way, his jaw tight and his eyes narrowed.

“How does she know?” he asked, Erik wasn’t sure but he thought maybe Alex sounded a little betrayed.

“The message mentioned her. I had to know if she was the one who sent them or if she’d have any idea who it could be.”

“Did she?”

“No,” Erik admitted, he dragged a hand along his hair, “but I’m not following this person blindly. So far they’ve been helpful.”

“Sounds like it, they seem to have found Moira, give you updates on what the enemy is doing, and give you a heads-up. Sounds like you’ve got a guardian angel or something like that. Are you sure you didn’t leave anyone who liked you alive?” The last barb felt sharper than it should’ve been; Erik forced himself to shake it off, to ignore it all as he looked back at Alex.

“Unless Raven is far more talented at spy games than her brother was, then no, I can’t imagine I have anyone left,” Erik answered honestly. Alex looked taken aback, his mouth open as if he was going to speak again before he shook his head.

“Got it!” Moira yelled. Erik immediately got up from the couch and was by her side within moments. Leaning down he stared at the information before them. “Looks like Joey is either planning on snitching, or…” she trailed off.

“Or he’s just fucked up a transaction.”

“Which leads me to wonder why they don’t have this encrypted better? I mean it didn’t take me days to get through this mess, it was actually pretty damn easy,” Moira said.

“Check your computer, see if they put anything in that file that opens a backdoor for them,” Erik advised. Moira let out a half amused laugh.

“I was halfway there, champ, but thanks, it’s nice to know you haven’t lost your touch either,” she nudged him with her elbow. Erik evaded most of the blow by stepping back and reaching for his phone. There were no new messages from his stalker, but as he looked over the screen Erik couldn’t keep his mind from the one he’d been ignoring for the better part of the last weeks.

“Alex, I might need some supplies soon, are you still wanting to be part of this?” Erik asked. He watched as the blond boy shuffled his feet, dragging a hand through his hair, and then he nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll get what you need.” Erik gave a brief smile.

“Good. I need heroin.” Alex didn’t ask him why he needed it, though Moira had a look on her face that said she wasn’t about to have that in her home.

“Drugs?” she hissed. Erik glanced back to where Alex was tucking the keys and some cash back into his pockets before he looked back at Moira.

“They are not for me. It’s just going to make my job easier.”

“I can’t know this Sullivan!”

“You’re no longer a government lackey, MacTaggert, and there were a _lot_ of things that you should have known.”

“Sullivan,” she growled out. Erik let out a growl of his own.

“Lehnsherr.”  Moira titled her head to the side, her face questioning. “If you’re going to yell at me, at least use the correct surname.” Her jaw dropped down.

 “You are an asshole, Sul-Lehnsherr!” she yelled at him. She didn’t ask him if Charles had known; she didn’t have to, at least with her mouth because her eyes were screaming it enough. Erik turned slightly away from her. He wasn’t going to talk about that right then. Instead he returned his attention to the phone in his hand.

He navigated towards his contact list. There weren’t many people in his phone; for the most part he had six contacts all in all. He’d never really had much in the usual contacts, but his previous phones had filled up with people who eventually became inane to his life, but he’d never quite deleted them. Yet, as he kept his eyes on the screen, he was almost thankful he’d never kept that old thing. Shaking his head, Erik selected Angel’s name and hit call.

She answered after two rings.

“Yeah?”

“Do you want your ex dead, or off the streets?” he asked. One the other end Angel gasped. He listened as she fumbled with something and the sound of wind let him know she’d gone out to get air.

“You found it?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“That’s not important. Which one?” Angel went quiet for a few more moments before he heard a bitter laugh.

“I hate that asshole, but I don’t want him dead,” she whispered the last part. “What are you going to do?”

“One more question, is your boyfriend a user of anything remotely related to heroin or the drug itself?”

“W-What are you going to do?” Her voice was still a whisper, but there was an edge of worry, causing it to be a bite that Erik almost missed.

“I am going to take care of him,” Erik said. “Just answer the question. Or else I’ll just hazard a guess.”

“You’re a fucking asshole. Once this is over I am out of your life!” Erik smiled at the comment.

“Is he a user?”

“Yes! I told him to keep that shit away from me, but yes he is.” 

“Thank you,” he said. He hung up the phone and when he returned to look Moira he saw her face still puckered and covered with irritation.

“Erik Lehnsherr.” She stated. “We’re going to have a long talk about that once this whole thing is over.”

“Thank you for the consideration,” he replied. Moira just snorted at him, her brown eyes narrowed before she stalked into her kitchen and grabbed herself a beer. Erik kept to one spot watching the door.

 

*

 

It took Alex an hour and a half to get back and in that time Moira had taken it upon herself to play twenty-six games of solitaire while Erik watched the door, neither one of them speaking to each other. When Alex did enter he looked between them and gave an expression that said he didn’t want to ask.

“Do you have it?” Erik asked. Alex nodded. “Moira do you have Joey’s rap sheet?” The woman in question gave a short bitter laugh before she held up a piece of paper. She wasn’t going to move closer to him and while he’d rather not bow first, Erik still made to effort to grab the paper from her.

Alex handed him over the supplies, and then proceeded to watch him prep the needle, giving avid attention to Erik's hands. His mouth became even more ajar as the seconds passed by.

“It’s kind of creepy how easily you do that,” he murmured.

“Moira, this is current, correct?” Erik tapped the paper. Moira glanced over at the paper, almost as she had to make sure everything was as up to date as she could.

“If it isn’t then I guess you need a plan B,” she replied.

“Why does it need to be current?” Alex asked.

“Weight changes, and then there is the fact that Joey has already abused substances. I have to make sure I check off all the variables,” Erik answered, but his attention was fully on the task before him. “If it isn’t, I will either give this man an overdose or it won’t hit him how I need it to.”

“So, you’ve done this before,” Alex ventured. Erik glanced up, gaze connecting with Alex’s.

“Multiple times.” Alex took that moment to move, far, far away from Erik and placed himself, once more, back on the couch. However, he kept a wary eye on Erik the entire time.

“So, how are you going to get him?” Moira asked.

“Either call him up, say I’ve found something _interesting_ that has his name on it and hope that he’s still scared enough to come alone, or you could help me out.”

“Not touching that.” Moira motioned towards the drugs.

“You wouldn’t have to. Just get him interested enough and get him secluded, I’d to the rest.”

“And then what?”

“And then it’s a nice little trip to nearest precinct all trussed up for one lucky cop.”

“What if I say I have something interesting?” Erik perked up a little. “And get him to meet me alone, and while he’s too busy threatening me within an inch of my life you can just waltz up and do your work?”

“I think that could work, but question is will he believe that Angel gave it to you?” Moira gave a small curse.

“No, he sounds like the very man who would find it funny.” Erik pulled his phone from his pocket and tossed it Alex’s way.

“Alex, call Joey, tell him that you have something that you think belongs to him,” Erik commanded.

“Are you fucking serious?”

“Don’t whine, Moira will have your back.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be too busy jamming a needle into Joey.”

“Just so you know, this sucks,” Alex stated. “What’s his number?” Moira smiled at Erik for a brief few moments before she turned to Alex and rattled off the number.

 

*

 

Erik kept in the shadows, waiting for Joey for whenever he arrived. He kept his eyes on the shifting form that was Alex, even as the boy seemed to dance from foot to foot. Part of him wanted to lean forward and tell him to knock it off, to at least pretend to be comfortable in his own skin. Except Erik knew he couldn’t exit from his hiding place until Joey was right where he wanted him.

Moira must have said something from her own position behind Alex because the boy stopped his fidgeting and instead stood up straighter. Somehow he morphed from a kid to a man comfortable in his skin and right on time as well. Joey strode down the alley way like a steamroller, his head down and his shoulders hunched upwards so that his neck very nearly disappeared.

“You got something that’s mine? That bitch Angel give it to you?” Joey demanded. He looked over his shoulder. It was in such a way that Erik was fairly certain Joey was still very scared about being found out.

“About that…” Alex trailed off, giving Erik his cue. He slid from the shadows and right up behind Joey; one hand gripped Joey’s neck while the other jammed the needle into him. The other man jerked and fought before a brief few beats before the drug took effect. Joey slackened in his grip as the euphoria settled over him. “Shit you are scary,” Alex muttered. The blond didn’t say anything more, instead he ran back to grab a car.

“He went down rather easy,” Moira mused.

“He wasn’t thinking someone else was backing up the kid, not when Alex was acting confident,” Erik offered as he shifted some of Joey’s weight away from him. Moira laughed.

“He was emulating you; at least I think he was because I don’t think he ever knew _him_ ,” Moira replied. For the most part Erik ignored her comment. He didn’t want to think of the way Charles stood, lips curved into a smirk even when he was very nearly cornered. The way he’d tilt his head as if to challenge anything said to him.

Erik shut down the flood of memories, clenching his teeth as well as his hands. Moira said nothing as she helped him shuffle Joey into the back of the car. The man was far friendlier while he was on his high, and he almost seemed like a completely different person—Erik kept his eye on him none the less.

“So where are we going?” Alex asked.

“Outside the nearest precinct with the supplies well within sight,” Erik answered.

“How are you going to do that without the police catching you?” Alex demanded. Erik locked gazes with Moira. She nodded briefly and began to pull out her own paraphernalia out from under the front seat.

“We have our ways.”

“Fucking creepy.”

 

 

*

 

Moira nudged her shoulder against him and when he ignored her nudge she elbowed him hard in the ribs. With a low grunt, Erik sidled a look Moira’s way only to note that she wasn’t quite looking at him either.

“So, Erik Lehnsherr.”

“Yes.”

“You know I can look you up now. Find out all about your past?” she pushed. Erik snorted.

“I already did that to you many times over, MacTaggert.” She shrugged her shoulders upwards and let out a long breath.

“Is there a reason you never corrected me until now?”

“You weren’t a fixture, and even if you were, you were Charles’ fixture.”

“And when you came back?”

“I didn’t think you’d get to the point where you were part of my daily routine.” Moira slapped his shoulder, yet more in a friendly way than an actual attack. Erik shook his head.

“You’re getting soft on me, next thing I’ll know, you’ll be telling people we’re best friends,” she teased, but her voice was brittle. Tucking her hair behind her ear, Moira gave a puff of breath. “So, what are you going to do about your messenger friend?” Erik clenched his jaw.

“Cautiously play along? They appear as if they want to help me, not only that when I ignored one tip, they seemed to think they needed to prove themselves trustworthy with the Angel case.”

“Sounds like they know you, and speaking of _the Angel case_ , how did Angel take it?” Moira asked.

“She’s fairly pleased with the outcome. Her ex is in jail, not dead, she’s free to go wherever she wants, and no one knows Joey ever had the information,” Erik replied. He fished his keys out of his pocket, the jangled of the keys drew Moira’s attention.

“Where are you going?”

“I have a storage unit I need to check out. I’ll be back.”


	6. Call Me Your Favorite

The woman working hadn’t blinked once since he arrived, and her bright red hair was piled atop her head. While she looked attentive towards her magazine, Erik couldn’t help but feel that there was something off. He kept his attention on the woman until he was no longer in her sight; however, he didn’t relax. Instead he walked towards the storage unit. It was a strange bout of familiarity as he made his way down past the doors. He almost expected Charles at his side chatting away about something or another.

Erik snorted and shook his head, dispersing the memory almost as quickly as it came. He couldn’t afford to stay inside his head when he needed to stay on his toes. He nearly passed his storage unit; it took him a moment to stop and sort through the memories. He’d only been to the units twice before with Charles, but it seemed like more than enough to fill his head with memories and his chest with emotions. He placed a hand gently on the door, steadying himself for a few moments. Refocusing, Erik slid the key and twisted. The lock turned over, and Erik began pushing the door up.

He expected an assortment of things to be scattered around the inside—most people, even spies, hid things in plain sight that way. There was nothing in the room except for a small piece of paper held down by an angel figurine. The thing was rather disturbing, like something that once resided in an antique store. Erik scanned the entire area; part of him felt like he was being watched. He stepped into the unit but not before taking out a wedge. He wasn’t about to allow someone to trap him in an enclosed room. Jamming it along the run of the door, Erik then confidently walked into the room. He still felt the prickle of eyes on his body, so he made a show of bending over and grabbing the piece of paper. There were only a few words scribbled on it, in a scrawl that he didn’t recognize. The slight hope he’d held in his chest, even despite reminding himself over and over again that Charles was dead, died slowly. He let out a shuddering breath as he tucked the note into his pocket.

Erik stood storage unit for six minutes just breathing. His body shook and his eyes became a little wet as everything just cracked and broke. Shaking his head, he let out a growl. He hadn’t even admitted out loud that part of him had hoped it was Charles, Charles back from the dead. Yet, as he stood in the middle of the concrete floor he clenched his fist. If Charles had been alive and playing some sort of game with him, Erik decided he wouldn’t be so forgiving to his late lover. Maybe then it would be for the best that it was someone else who was screwing with him.

He pulled his cellphone from his pocket and turned back to face the door. The sensation was still dancing along his body; he knew he was being watched. Erik was also fairly certain that it was his stalker doing the watching. Alex picked up the phone after four rings and answered with a low rough grumble.

“What?”

“I need you to do something for me.”

“It’s early!”

“It’s noon. Get your ass out of bed and get your feelers out.  I need to know about Azazel, no last name. Though with a name like that I suppose you wouldn’t need one would you?” Erik commented.  Alex’s breath on the other end stuttered for a moment before Erik heard him shuffle around on the other end.

“You sure you got the name right?” Alex asked.

“It’s kind of hard to miss, you don’t exactly skip over names like that. John and Mary, yes, but Azazel? That’s far too biblical and eye catching. Do you know him?” Erik felt his brows start to twitch and his lips settled into a thin line. Alex fumbled for a couple more minutes before Erik heard the sound of fingers clicking against the keyboard.

“If you live in Miami long enough, everyone finds out who Azazel is sooner or later. Though not usually the way you do.” Erik snorted. He imagined most people found out about Azazel and his reputation, after they stepped on one too many toes.

“Right, well it gave me a number to reach this man on. I’ll bring it to you, so you can check and see if it’s the real number or if someone is trying to fuck with me.”

“You mean like your stalker/admirer?”

“Exactly.”

“You’re not taking this by Moira?”

“Maybe later, if it actually turns into anything. If not, then we won’t involve her,” Erik explained. As he spoke to Alex he had begun to lock up the unit, and as he walked past the main office, Erik noted, the red headed woman was still very much enthralled in her magazine.

“She going to be okay with that?” Erik slid his gaze away from the woman once more and gnawed on his bottom lip for a few moments. His instincts told him to go talk to the woman to try and feel her out, and that she could very well know who his helper was. But it was a little too soon to show his hand. He instead turned back to his phone call.

“She’ll be involved eventually if it pans out, I don’t think she’ll mind too much. Just wait for me at your apartment. We need to see if this number is the one to call.”

“You could just tell me it.”

“I’m in public.”

“Text?”

“No.” Alex kept silent for a few moments, giving Erik enough time to settle into his Dodge Avenger. He curled his hand around the steering wheel and waited for Alex to either complain once more or finally buckle.

“Fine. You’re what thirty minutes away from me?”

“Forty-five.”

“Well then forty-five, if you don’t drive like you’re on a mission. I’ll open the door for you in thirty,” Alex said. Erik smiled a little at the comment.

“Well then I guess I’ll have to make it in thirty then,” he replied.

“Yeah, guess you better asshole, and don’t kill any innocent bystanders trying to beat thirty.”

“I’m a better spy than that.”

“Of course you are, you hide the bodies. Oh, and I’m calling Moira. I might need her expertise.” Erik felt his jaw clench and unclench at the words. If the kid wanted Moira in earlier, it wasn’t as if it hindered Erik in any way, shape or form. Still, being pressed was not something he took kindly too.

“That’s how you want this to go, Alex?”

“No, but I think it’ll suck less if you let her in on it in the beginning instead of being really fucking secretive about all of it,” Alex shot back.

“Fine, bring her in, but if this doesn’t go anywhere,” Erik warned.

“I’ll be the one to apologize, don’t worry about it, you don’t have to bow down or anything. You’re a real tight-ass you know that?”

“Alex, shut up.”

“Yes, sir!”  Erik revved his engine before tearing out of the parking lot. He didn’t break every rule, just most of them as he tore around the city. At times he would whip around and yet in other moments he would just blend in. He made it to Alex’s apartment in 28.5 minutes and bounded up to the front door so that he knocked against the still locked door at 29 minutes. When Alex opened the door he shook his head.

“Times like these remind me that you’re not an old fifty-year-old who is grumpy at the entire world,” Alex commented. Erik didn’t say anything he just looked at the younger boy, brow arched upwards. “Right, right come in show me his number. Though I won’t have to look it up. No real point, it’d probably go to someone else. But, I had a friend who got in wrong with Azazel. I know his number by heart now.” Erik pulled the paper out from his pocket and unfolded it.  Alex sucked in a breath. 

“You’ll have to tell me about that story later,” Erik mused. Alex looked up at him with wide eyes, his mouth open before he shoved the number hard against Erik’s chest.

“That’s his fucking number. Shit, who the, who the fuck wanted you to go see him? It was your fucking stalker wasn’t it. Shit.” Alex paced across the room, and his hands found their way through his hair, messing the blond strands even more.

“Well, I see it was a good thing I ignored Alex and dropped by regardless of time,” Moira drawled. She had a spoon of peanut butter in her right hand and her phone in the other, her thumb swiping over the screen.

“Hello Moira,” Erik greeted.

“Hello Erik, have a good time on your chase?” she asked.

“Yes, it was all laughs and giggles.”

“Good, now do you want me to dig up as much as I can about Azazel or do you want to brood some more?”

“Actually I would prefer skinning Alex and selling his organs to the black market, but I’ll take your help instead.” Erik was only slightly proud when Alex made no noise to his comment.

“Okay then. I’ll look up Azazel online.” Moira tucked her spoon in her mouth before she headed off towards wherever she’d stashed her laptop in Alex’s house. Alex was still staring at him.

“Dig up what you can. Talk to your friend if you have to,” Erik ordered.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Alex murmured. Erik turned and allowed his face to settle in the one expression he knew Alex was uncomfortable with. It didn’t take long for him to start shuffling either after Erik set his gaze on him.

“Why not?” he asked.

“Because last time he had to deal with that man he nearly overdosed on some pills just so he wouldn’t have to fucking see that bastard,” Alex said with a huff.

“Do you want me talking to him?” The look on Alex’s face spoke volumes of how much he didn’t want Erik to do just that.

“No!”

“Then you do it Alex. I am not walking in there blind.”

“Why are you walking in there at all?” Alex demanded. “Why are you listening to that crazy son of a bitch who keeps texting you?”

“Whoever it is, is offering up who burned me on a silver platter. Now, if they didn’t demand that I jump through a few hoops then I wouldn’t be able to trust that they are going to make good on their promise,” Erik explained.

“Why? This seems to make all the fucking sense to you, but you’re tense as fuck and it just seems like you don’t trust whoever is giving you these hints.”

“I don’t, but that’s the point. Go talk to your friend, Alex. Get him to talk about Azazel and get me my information.” Alex glared at him for a few moments, his lips thinning before he turned back around and stormed out of his own apartment but not before ripping his coat off a stand and yelling to Moira that he’d be gone.

“You pissed the kid off,” she commented as she walked into the main room, her laptop clutched between her hands but her peanut butter spoon missing.

“I told him to contact his friend about Azazel, apparently his friend doesn’t take Azazel well,” Erik replied.

“Do you need his friend?” Moira asked. She had settled her laptop back down on the coffee table and was leaning so far down that Erik almost had to wince for her.

“I need anyone we know—whoever met and had to deal with Azazel.”

“I dealt with him once, about seven years ago. Charles needed me to move something, and he wasn’t as big as he is now, but he was still a little unsettling. His eyes are pale and he’s fairly tan too. The point is this guy is pretty big heavy weight. I didn’t track him over the years because I’d never really thought about it. His name has been thrown around a couple times…” Moira trailed off.

“But you kept your head low.”

“Yeah, anyway, Charles needed me to move things and he wasn’t going to be able to mess with Azazel himself. I think you two were in Bolivia or something like that. Out of country. So, I went to see him and he’s rather levelheaded. At least he was. He won’t screw you over because he can, but whatever he’s going to ask of you in return for his information is going to be painful.”

“I’m assuming it’s going to hurt or stretch me just about as far as I can go?”

“Yes. So don’t walk in there with your smooth super spy gait, he’ll read that like it’s the morning newspaper.”

“I know how to do my job.”

“I know you do, I really do, but there are either two ways to promote yourself for a job. Either slightly undersell yourself or do it right on the money. Anything cocky will get us all killed.” Erik took a few moments to just look at Moira. He reached forward and brushed a strand behind her ear.

“Thank you, Moira.”

 

 

*

 

When Alex came back he had a red head in tow. The kid looked Alex’s age, but he seemed to be an inch taller than him and scared out of his mind. His eyes jittered from side to side before he stopped on Erik. His mouth fell ajar before he snapped his gaze down.

“That your friend?” Erik motioned towards the boy.

“Yeah, he wanted to know who you were so he could make sure you weren’t part of Azazel’s crew,” Alex explained. Erik spread his hands out, palms upwards.

“Do I need to do a little twirl too to make sure I don’t look like one of them from the back as well?” Erik asked. Behind him Moira snorted. The red headed boy looked down, a flush still on his face.

“I just had to be sure,” he explained.

“Well, since you’re sure now, let’s get this show on the road. I’m sure Azazel is going to be expecting my call soon,” Erik replied. The boy paled and jerked his head towards Alex. The two boys whispered things towards each other before Alex looked back at Erik almost like he was irritated. Erik folded his arms over his chest and returned the gaze.

“Why do you think he knows you’re going to call him?” the red head asked. He looked between Erik and Alex like they were two alley cats about to fight on his face. “What did you do?”

“He followed some stupid advice from someone he doesn’t know,” Alex snapped.

“Someone who has proven themselves to be at least semi good with giving information; however, as you can see, I’m not about to walk in completely unprepared. Now, you either talk to your friend or _I will_.” Erik stepped back and turned back towards Moira who was giving him an unimpressed look.

“So, are you going to punch him now or later?” she asked.

“Who said I am going to punch him at all?” he shot back. Moira hummed her fingers spread over her keys before she tilted her head.

“I don’t know, after the time before I would’ve thought your fuse might be a little short.”

“I’ve dealt with Alex before, and I never had to resort to hitting him. He’s a hardheaded kid, but in the end he’s loyal to a fault,” Erik grumbled. Moira gave him a wry smile as she looked him over.

“This would be the moment in our buddy cop movie where I tell you ‘awww you do have a heart’ and then you’d glare and storm off, but everyone knows you’re a softie inside.”

“Except you’re not going to do that.”

“Right, because I already knew you had a heart and there’s a story between you and that kid that I’m not going to even touch.”

“Good idea.”

“But Erik, if you’re going after the people who did this to you—” Moira started to say.

“I know.” Moira nodded her head slowly.

“So, Alex is going to get the information out of his friend, and then what?”

“After we get enough information, I’ll go say hello to Azazel, see what he wants,” Erik answered.

“Hopefully the price won’t be too steep.” He nodded.

“How is the chatter going?”

“On Azazel? Well, the guy is rather popular, but on you? It’s dead silent. Erik, I don’t have to tell you how not good that is.” He cringed his jaw tightening as he closed his eyes and titled his head downwards.

Chatter happened. Either people speculated whether someone was alive, or as to where they could maybe find the person. Names weren’t used, but there were enough descriptions and comments that if someone was looking for a certain someone, it wouldn’t be hard to find them. At least not as along as the search party had a decent attention span.

No chatter meant the person was dead or someone was cutting the chatter before it started. Erik clenched his teeth; he was very much alive.

“That’s something then. Someone is actively trying to make it look like I’m gone,” Erik commented. He allowed his eyes to open just in time to see Moira open her mouth. There was part of him that knew exactly what point she was going to make. “He’s gone. If he wasn’t he would’ve found some way to let someone know he was still around.”

“And then that someone would’ve gotten into contact with you? While you were part of the same government that burned him?” Moira asked.

“I am not nor was I a fledgling spy five years ago either. Charles knew my limitations as well.” Moira didn’t open her mouth to argue, she looked more as if she were actually contemplating his words.

“He knew mine as well,” she commented. “I guess, with this secret admirer you have, I had a moment when I thought maybe it was him.”

“I had that moment too. This whole thing, it’s like it should be him,” Erik admitted.

“But if it was, that was five years.” Erik nodded. He moved to walk away from her before stopped for a few breaths.

“Tell me if you find anything interesting about Azazel and see if, if Charles ever dealt with him outside of you? He could be the very reason why this feels like Charles.”

“Will do, and don’t scare the kid too much, he’s kind of cute.”

“I’ll see if I can get you his number,” Erik replied dryly. Moira only shook her head before she returned to her laptop, her eyes glued to the screen once more. The red head was keeping a wary eye on him as he approached before at the last moment he looked away and at the ground.

“I wrote all the shit down, so he doesn’t have to repeat it,” Alex grumbled.

“How kind of you, Alex,” Erik retorted. “What’s your name?”

“Sean,” the boy mumbled.

“Sean,” Erik paused, “I _appreciate_ your cooperation, but.”

“Azazel is pretty creepy when he wants things. It’s like he can appear out of nowhere and just startle you.”

“I don’t startle easily, now you should leave before Moira decides she needs an extra pair of hands,” Erik replied. Sean looked at him for a few moments before he glanced over at where Moira was still bowed over her screen typing away.

“I could help her out,” Sean offered. He seemed too far gone to even pay too much attention to either Erik or Alex. Erik sent a look Alex’s way.

“Sean thinks he has more charm than he actually does,” Alex commented. Erik gave a snort.

“He might get further than either of us expect,” he replied. Alex looked at him as if he’d had cold water dumped on him.

“Are you serious?”

“Moira said he was cute.”

“That is just wrong. One so many levels. Sean is, well he’s Sean and Moira seems like a sophisticated person,” Alex said. He moved his hands like he was trying to get a grip on the whole thing.

“She is sophisticated, but she can also get down on the ground and show you a thing or two,” Erik replied. Alex made a face before he turned more fully towards Erik.

“Just so you know I’m still pissed at you,” he told him.

“Is this going to affect your work?” Erik asked. Alex seemed to think on it for a few moments.

“It shouldn’t,” he finally answered.

“Well then we’ll deal with this later then. Deal?” Erik held out a hand, Alex didn’t hesitate long before he reached out and shook his hand.

“Deal.”

 

*

 

Erik stared down at his phone and then to the number scrawled on the paper. He was probably one of the best prepared people out of anyone who had to deal with Azazel, and he knew that. Except that was still part of him that felt as if no matter what he would do Azazel would have the upper hand easily. Hand placed along his jaw, Erik clenched it before he punched in the numbers. He had been a top spy once upon a time, not too long ago he hoped, and there were often times that no matter how crazy prepared he was there had been someone one step above him via intercepted information.

“Hello, Mr. Lehnsherr, took your sweet time to get in contact with me,” Azazel greeted. Erik felt a little off balance if only for a moment by the familiarity and the accent. From what he’d heard of Azazel he hadn’t expected the Russian accent.

“I couldn’t be too sure,” Erik replied. Azazel laughed.

“I heard you were a feisty one, also that I should not piss you off. Which is refreshing to hear about someone else,” Azazel informed him. One the other side of the line Erik rolled his eyes.

“I am sure it is.”

“I assume you’ve never had the pleasure to hear of other’s faults. Pity. I need you to come to my business at 6pm tomorrow. I do not care whatever you have keeping you from coming, cancel it.”

“Are you not going to tell me where your business is?” Erik asked.

“You’re a spy. Find it,” Azazel challenged. Nothing more was said; instead the next think Erik heard was the dial tone. Moira was by his side in an instant.

“What’d he say?” she asked.

“That I need to go find his business and meet him at six tomorrow.”

“No address?”

“No, that I suppose is a test to see if I even deserve the title spy. You have that list of properties?” he asked. Moira held it the papers out. “I’ll need you to keep your algorithm up. I’ll feed you criteria and then we’ll narrow it down. After that we’ll cross check with how often people have been called to which one.” Moira nodded. She headed back to her laptop, but stopped for a moment.

“You know, you’re not as bad to work with as I had originally thought. You actually can delegate work,” she said.

“Shocking, I know,” Erik shot back. Moira didn’t comment back instead she settled herself on her perched and watched him as he went over the property lists. The list was rather long, yet at the same time it wasn’t the longest things Erik had ever set eyes on. He dragged his finger down along the list his eyes flickering over towards their addresses as he did. “Looks like Azazel is a busy boy.”

“Not too surprising,” Moira replied. “Seeing as the fear he put in Sean.”

“I think a Chihuahua can put fear in Sean.”

“You don’t even know him.”

“Know the type well enough.”

“You are an ass, Lehnsherr.”

“I know.”

 

*

 

Erik arrived twenty minutes early and at the one place he and Moira had been sure was probably Azazel’s home. He slid a hand over his hair before he sauntered in; the bodyguards did nothing more than watch him as he strode down the hall, his shoes tapping against the hard floor. The only moment that any of them moved was the one time Erik had tested them by turning down the hall. He barely contained the amusement at the rather uniformed movements of the men stationed along his path. However, even Erik had to admit that at times paranoia had its place, especially with a man in Azazel’s field.

He was lead into the main office where Azazel stood with his back to the door; at least Erik assumed he was Azazel from what the grainy photos had shown and the descriptions from both Sean and Moira.

“You are good, I am not disappointed,” Azazel spoke up.

“Glad I didn’t disappoint.” Erik replied. Azazel chuckled, low and dark.

“I was fairly certain with all I had heard of you, that there was no way you would live up to your legend. It seems you just might. This is good. I need a legend.” Erik watched as Azazel turned on the ball of his right foot and faced him. There was a noticeable scar that crossed over one of his pale eyes. All in all the man had looked like hell had dragged him down and spit him back out.

“I hear you’re a legend yourself,” Erik commented. He stepped forward and rested his hand on the wooden desk. It was one of the few bits of furniture within the room. Only two chairs joined it.

“I’ve heard from chatter that you were once called the real life 007, is that not true?” Azazel asked. Erik’s body went rigid as his mind tried to race towards the past and to the familiar words that dripped from cherry red lips. He focused, instead, on Azazel’s previous comments on chatter.

“Chatter? Can’t always trust that,” Erik said, except Moira had been certain there was no chatter on him, and there hadn’t been since he’d been burned.

“That I am aware of. There has been certain times when chatter has talked up a person and they fail me. Of course that only means that the person never works again.” The way Azazel spoke was as if he was telling Erik about some book he’d read, mild interest but nothing more.

“Good to know. What is it that you want me to do?” Erik pushed.

“There is a company, it has information that I want.”

“This company have a name?” Azazel snorted.

“It has a few, but none are important until you agree to the mission.” A dangerous smile spread along Erik’s lips before he gave a slight nod.

“Of course, though this mission won’t be agreed to until I’m given the specs,” Erik retorted.

“Still living up to your name. Come, I will show you some things and then you will be left to decide whether you proceed or you do not.” Azazel motioned for him to follow, and Erik only hesitated for a few moments. From the stories that Sean had told, Azazel was the boogeyman, and to Moira he was a slippery snake that needed to be watched. Erik was fairly certain Azazel would be amused by both depictions.

He was handed a sheet of paper, and most of the surrounding words had absolutely nothing to do with what Azazel wanted him to do. Erik searched for the beginning keyword, his gaze slipping over the unnecessary ones. He found the word moments later and his lips curled upwards as he began to read. The entire mission was rather straightforward but with how uncomplicated it was also made it one of the toughest missions he had received since his burn. It was on par with the mission types the agencies he had worked for liked to dish out.

“Any restrictions you want to place on this one?” Erik asked.

“You work alone. We keep this more or less in house,” Azazel answered. Erik looked over the specs once more, it wasn’t impossible to succeed in the mission with out a partner, but it would make things tight. He tapped the paper.

“These doors, they’re timed?” Erik asked. Azazle nodded.

“Something you are familiar with, no?”

“I’ve dealt with them before,” Erik replied.

Every system had a weakness or key to open the locks. The difficulty with each system began and ended with how hard it was to find either one. Erik clenched his jaw as he read exactly what system he had to play with. He was familiar with it, but his memory was more of the frustration and near hopelessness he and Charles had endured while they had tried every trick in the book.

He would be given a company with one of the most finicky systems to crack along with what looked like a live, highly trained security team. Azazel wasn’t going to make it easy on him.

 

“Time restrictions?” Erik inquired.

“I need this information by the end of the month.”

“And one more thing,” Erik paused for a moment, “why in the hell should I even do this?” Azazel arched a brow.

“I heard from a little bird that you are looking for people to help you find out who put the fire under you. I know people.” Erik refocused on the sheet before him, if only to hide the knowing gaze in his eyes. His stalker had a wide reach as well as an influential one. “It is for a good cause.”

“I am sure it is,” Erik murmured. “I’ll do it.” He handed the paper back and waited for the real one.

“Good. Janos, would you please shred this one?” Azazel handed of his paper to a silent dark haired man, whom hadn’t kept his eyes off of Erik the entire time he had been in the room. “Ready for the real one?”

“Yes.” Azazel waved him over to a computer and then motioned for him to sit. Erik obliged. Once settled into the chair Azazel pressed a few buttons, ones that Erik quickly memorized though he was fairly certain the passwords would be changed hourly if not daily.

The display that is shown before him is harder than the one before. The system is still relatively the same, but Erik could see the distinct differences. He didn’t let his expression change one bit as the information flowed over him. Moira had been right, Azazel liked to test people. While the other was doable as a solo mission, Erik wasn’t so sure the real one was even possible with only one spy. He’d have to take his time.

“Extension of time.” Erik demanded quietly.

“I gave you time.”

“You gave me time enough for the mission that you showed me, this one is obviously different.” He pointed out.

“Three more days.”

“One more week.” Erik pushed, he stood from the chair. Janos’ stance tightened noticeably.

A quick glance towards the window let Erik know that there was a high chance, due to it not being a ridiculous height that the window was extremely hard to crack. But, when there was a will, there was often a way. Azazel let out a low curse in Russian before he motioned for Janos to stand down.

“Three weeks. No, more changes to the plan,” he agreed.

“Deal.” Erik thrust his hand out for a shake. Azazel looked at him as if he were contagious before he slowly wrapped his hand around Erik’s and gave a brief squeeze.

“Nice doing business with you Mr. Sullivan.” A smile curled at his lips, at least his stalker didn’t know his real name. Erik gave a squeeze back.

“You too.”

 

 

*

 

A sensation welled up in Erik’s stomach as he drove back to his loft after meeting with Azazel. There were things Azazel knew that he shouldn’t and there were also obvious things that he seemed unaware of it was almost as if someone was feeding him certain bits of information about Erik but leaving the rest out. How to work him had definitely been out of the tutorial.  He let his eyes fall shut if only for a moment.

Erik opened them to see a familiar figure leaning against a familiar car. The vehicle hasn’t changed since he was twelve scowling in the backseat after someone from the state had basically given him away.  He also remembered sitting in the passenger seat as a sulking child, his bottom lip jutted out and glaring at the world like it owed him something.

“What are you doing here, Sebastian?” Erik demanded the second he exited his car. Sebastian Shaw just smiled at him and tilted his sunglasses down his nose. Erik didn’t know how the man did it, but he didn’t look like he’d aged a day. “Actually better question yet, how did you find this place?” he asked. Shaw just pushed off from his 1968 Chevelle SS. He might not share anything biological with the man, but Erik did have a weak spot for old muscle cars.

“I got an anonymous tip that my son was back on the US soil and hurting,” Shaw explained. His smile was wide and a little dangerous but Erik mostly ignored it, instead he focused of what Shaw had said.

“There is absolutely no chatter on me.” Erik stated plainly.

“I didn’t say I heard any chatter about you, you were just burned they want to pretend you died in a giant fireball that took the warlord you were going after with you. Once again a little anonymous bird was how I got my information. “

“I might have to find your little bird and shoot it.”

“Good luck. Now are you going to let me in or do I have to lament about how my son no longer loves me?”

“You’re not my father,” Erik said with a growl.

“If I remember correctly I raised you from when you were a petulant child at twelve to when you were a petulant teenager at eighteen, I put in my years. Most people would’ve put in the towel after you crashed their car while trying to escape.”

“You locked me in my room.”

“And you managed to break out. I don’t see the problem here.”

“Who’s your source?”

“I don’t know, hence the word anonymous.”

“Bullshit.  Police have anonymous tips, spies have people they say are anonymous but aren’t.”

“I can see why you needed Xavier; you’re very bad at talking to witnesses, aren’t you? I should’ve taught you better it seems.”

“Right, you should’ve scheduled that in between my bomb making 101 and how to hotwire a car.”

“Obviously those skills came in handy, you were a spy for quite a while before they decided you were too much of a loose cannon.”

“Is that why they cut me off?”

“That is the usual reason, but knowing you, it won’t be the reason they burned you.” Shaw sighed, he rubbed at his temples. “Let’s face it, you were always a difficult child.”

“Who you trained to be a killer.”

“Who I trained to walk in my footsteps and maybe get some of my stories to buffer their portfolio, obviously you couldn’t very well do that. You had to go off and be a spy who did mostly non-combat. Of course whenever you did dip into combative, you really shone through.”

“Stop it, you sound like some sort of proud father, whose son is now the quarterback or star player.”

“You and Xavier were the star players back in the day. I didn’t even need to listen to a source to find that out,” Shaw informed him.

“If I invite you in? Will you stop reminiscing?” Erik asked. Shaw gave him a wide smile.

“Of course I will. Now, tell me about your newest assignment. I might be able to give you a few ins and outs.”

“I can’t handle the planning by myself,” Erik gritted out. Shaw just snorted.

“Who are you working for?” Erik didn’t answer he just climbed the stairs. He didn’t look back to see if Shaw was following him, he knew very well that he was. “I can run a list down of all the possible suspects I think you might be dealing with, or you could just tell me.”

“You are aware you’re no longer threatening or charming, right?” Erik snapped.

“I would have to say there are many people who disagree with both of those assessments, but I’ll let it slide for now.”

“Joy.”

“How long have you been out?”

“Shouldn’t your source tell you that?”

“That wasn’t exactly necessary information when I was gathering it.”

“Long enough.”

“And you never thought to call me?”

“Didn’t think I was expected to. I did basically disappear once I was eighteen.”

“I kept an eye out for you.”

“No, that’s not disturbing whatsoever. How did you trick anyone into thinking you were a fully functioning human being?”

“I am a fully functioning human being. It’s the rest that aren’t.” Erik barely refrained from rolling his eyes once more. Instead he pushed open his front door and disengaged the security he had set up, then had Moira try to crack the codes. There was something off about the device. Erik stopped and slid a look to Shaw.

“You tried to get in,” he accused.

“I more of tried to see what you had in place so that someone couldn’t get in, I’m slightly impressed.”  Erik gritted his teeth. In truth he very nearly turned on his heel to order Shaw to get the hell out of his loft. He calmed himself down quickly instead and just leveled a glare towards Shaw.

“Do that again, and I will make sure no one misses you,” he threatened. Shaw just smiled.

“Touchy, Erik. Fine, I won’t try to break into your home again. Anything else I should know about?” he asked.

“Don’t touch my team. They’re off limits.”

“Doable. So, what are you up to exactly?” Shaw made motions like he was trying to look over Erik’s shoulder. A motion Erik knew was more of a habit than anything.

 

*

 

“I got a message from your principal today, or maybe it was the secretary. You skipped classes today?” Shaw was leaning against the shed door. Erik didn’t have to turn around to know he was going to have a self-satisfied expression on his face. Most parents would be furious that their children skipped classes; Shaw just wanted to know how he surpassed every hall monitor that had been forced to memorize his face.

“Yes.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Didn’t feel like spending the rest of my day cooped up in a hot classroom.”

“Where’d you go?”

“Straight here.” Shaw hmm’ed and then Erik felt the movement behind him. His back muscles tensed ready for a fight. Except instead of even touching him Shaw merely glanced over his shoulder to the diagram and the piece of equipment Erik was constructing.

“How long have you been at it?” Shaw asked. Erik glanced at the clock.

“Two hours.” There was a snort behind him and then Shaw grabbed the pieces and dropped them into the wastebasket.

“Do it faster, or don’t even cut class to do it.” Erik kept as still as he possibly could, but the rage was curling through his body twisting as it filled him to the brim. He wanted to punch Shaw in the face. Except if he did, Shaw would take that as an opening to teach him a few more _moves_. Erik gritted his teeth and glared at the diagram.

“Start again Erik.”

“What if I don’t want to?” Shaw gave a sigh. He placed a hand on Erik’s shoulder.

“Still petulant I see. Well, either work on this and get it done in under two hours, or go fix dinner.” Erik glared down at the papers once more.

“Fine, can I at least pull the first one apart?”

“Are you asking if it’ll go against your time?”

“Yes.” Shaw made a show of thinking about it.

“No, it won’t. Start the timer when you get ready to work on it. Oh, and Erik?”

“Yes, sir?”

“If you start directly off of what you have built. I’ll know.”

“Understood, sir.”  Shaw left and Erik kept his eyes firmly in front of him because if he glanced back he would acknowledge Shaw. Digging through the trash, Erik grabbed at the metal and the wires of the device. One of the edges slit his finger open, but for the most part he ignored the pain even as it throbbed. He kept his head down and continued his work; slowly he pulled apart the pieces and the wires. It was supposed to be difficult to put together, Erik knew that, and he also knew by the notation Shaw left on the bottom left hand corner of the diagram that it was supposed to take 2.5 hours to complete on the first run through.

Erik steeled himself. Shaw always held him to a higher level than normal people. He’d said that he was special, that he was practically made for the life. Erik placed the metal and wire back down on the table and took another deep breath. As efficiently as he could, he tried to pull the items apart, teasing the wiring away from the metal and boards. It took him half an hour to dismantle what he’d done in over two hours.

With all the pieces laid out before him, Erik first wrapped the cleanest rag around his finger, and then got to work. His fingers flew over the pieces connecting the metal fashioning and reworking the wire throughout the entire thing. For the most part he ignored the ticking clock he’d set, per Shaw’s orders. It would only trip him up.

Once he finished he settled back, a smile on his face only to look at the timer and see 2:01, as it blinked at him. Erik bared his teeth, his fingers wrapped around the metal and he threw it hard. It slammed against the wall, tiny pieces dropped from it like fat rain drops before it landed on the ground with a thunk.

“Time?” Shaw spoke up from the doorway once more.

“Two hours one minute,” Erik grumbled. He waited for the jeering or the snide comment that was to follow, it was always to follow. Instead Shaw took his hand, the one he’s sliced open, and tutted his tongue.

“This slowed you down. Always take into account your physical and mental hang ups. Time yourself accordingly. I assume before you threw it like a child, that it worked.”

“Yes.” Shaw nodded.

“Next time, don’t get hurt when you retrieve it, and this you can cut class for.” Shaw dropped his hand, he walked towards the medkit. “How did you get away this time? I thought they had at least six hall monitors who knew exactly what you looked like.” Erik smiled, he felt a little bit of pride from his escape. “Though I don’t see why they care so much about you. Don’t they have about twenty other kids that skip as well?”

“They all get caught sneaking out at least once,” Erik stated proudly. He twisted in his seat and gave a small smile. “You know that tactic you told me you pulled in Columbia?”

“Yes,” Shaw answered. He watched Erik, and there was something akin to pride in his eyes.

“Used that.” Shaw let out a bark of laughter, and he titled his head downwards.

“I thought I was taking a risk with you, I really did in the beginning. I shouldn’t have worried. You’re perfect.” Erik felt the rise of pride as well as the dip of shame  in his stomach.  His mother would’ve hated everything he was doing, except she hadn’t had a thing to say about his life ever since the drunk driver had pinned her to a pole. Erik had stared hard into the man’s eyes during it all, and then the state had taken him. It shuffled him around up until Shaw.

Erik had to admit part of him felt thankful, for Shaw’s interference.

 

 

*

 

“So, your father found you?” Moira asked. She sounded as confused as Alex looked.

“He’s not my father,” Erik corrected. He settled a duffle bag in the back of his Avenger. “Though he’ll say he put the time in to be.”

“Then what is he?” Alex asked.

“The man who trained me to become what I am,” Erik answered.

“Holy shit, that sucks,” Alex commented. Erik didn’t reply, instead he unzipped his bag and checked the items once more his eyes drifted over every piece of equipment.

“So, is he back at your place?” Moira asked.

“Sent him out to go play golf with his buddies or whatever they do, and then locked up. He’ll keep himself mostly entertained.” Erik replied.

“You kicked your super spy not-father, or whatever he is, and expect him to stay out?” Alex asked.

“He knows what I’d do if he broke in, and he has the years against him instead of for him, no matter how much Botox he’s jammed into his face.” 

“I see there is no love lost between you two,” Moira said. “Okay, so we have what you did with him, are you going security watching?”

“That is the plan.”

“Why?” Alex popped up with the question. Erik shared a look with Moira before she gave a shrug of her shoulders.

“Because I have to know what the live human security is like before I even try to get in there to figure out my way around the electronic security. After that, I just have to plan the best way to get all the information as well as in and out without any support.”

“Why does he need it to be in house so badly?” Moira questioned softly. Erik was fairly certain she was talking to herself, he answered anyway.

“I imagine he wants to see how well I follow directions as well as how good I actually am. Though, can’t be too sure that he doesn’t expect me to follow through and actually grab the information.”

“So he thinks you’re basically a super human?” Moira arched a brow.

“Wouldn’t be the first time someone expected me to go above and beyond the norm.”

“Charles?” Erik tilted his head back and stared at the clear sky. He couldn’t remember a time when Charles hadn’t challenged him, pushed him to do something more, to be something more. It had been a way that stretched him more as a person than anything else.

“I’ll drop off a report tonight, Moira, just as a back-up,” he said instead.

“Just in case you decide not to be a good soldier?”

“Exactly for that reason.” Erik got into the car. He shut the door and drove. He kept his mind focused completely on the task at hand and far, far away from where the memories laid in wait. Erik parked his car as close as he possible could without arising any suspicion, he kicked back his seat a little and set up his system. Shaw would’ve been proud, probably beaming even if he saw the entire thing. Once the tiny screen blinked to light, Erik flipped open his book and started to read.

One hour and thirty minutes into the watch his phone buzzed. Erik glanced at the screen, his helper. He licked his lips and then pulled up the screen. A white hot dash of fear crawled over his body. All it said was _Raven_. Putting the car back into gear, Erik didn’t even disengage his toys—instead he just drove. 


	7. Give Me One Reason

When Erik arrived at Raven’s apartment he couldn’t remember quite how he’d gotten there, not really. He was out of the car like a shot and half way up the stairs before the roar in his ears died down just in time to see a man on his way to Raven’s door. Erik gritted his teeth. There were ways the civilians moved and the man was no civilian. He raced up the stairs, hooked his arm around the man’s throat and pulled him down with the help of his knee against the back of the man’s leg. He twisted his body with the momentum and landed on top of the man his knee firmly placed right under the intruder’s ribs. Reaching down, Erik pulled the gun from the holster before he stripped it. The pieces falling to the ground beneath them.

A second pair of footsteps, too heavy to be Raven, sounded to his left. Erik pulled his own gun from his clothing and slammed the butt of it against the downed man’s skull. Sliding off the man, he crouched low most of his body hidden by some of the shrubbery. Just as the second man turned the corner Erik slid his hand under the man’s jaw and pulled him towards him. He turned him around so that his back was to Erik’s chest and them places his gun up against the back of his neck, right where the spinal cord would be. The man stilled, yet not until after he’d let out a few quiet curses.

“Interesting place for one of Azazel’s men to visit,” Erik said conversationally. He squeezed tighter and the man let out a pitiful cough. “Do you want to tell me what you were doing here?” The man bit out something that sounded more like a fuck you than any answer that Erik wanted to hear. In reply, he felt no remorse when he knocked the man’s head against the wall. Two men on the ground would arise suspicion, but he had to check on Raven first.

Erik stepped over the body; he brought his knuckles down against the door. The door almost immediately opened to show a pale faced Raven with a phone clutched tightly in her hand. Within a few seconds, she dropped the phone and threw her hands around his neck, his name muffled on her lips as she pressed her face against his collarbone.

“I heard, I heard noises,” she whispered. Erik glanced down at the phone.

“Did you call?” he asked. Raven shook her head.

“Not yet. Was that? Is that okay?” Her voice quaked.

“It’s better that you didn’t,” he answered. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled away. “I need you to get to my car and wait for me alright?” Raven didn’t say anything, but she didn’t argue either she reached back and grabbed her purse. Erik watched over her while she picked her way past the two unconscious men. She shot him a look over her shoulder, but she continued on without a comment.

Erik waited until he heard his door open and then shut before he got to work. Both of the bodies would be hard to move, but he didn’t want Raven involved in it at all. He stepped over them and looked for the car that didn’t quite look liked it fit, but in a sense it did. He walked down the stairs and pointed towards the car as Raven pushed open the door and stepped out.

“Is that one of your neighbors?” He asked, just to make sure. Raven followed his gesture towards the car and shook her head. “Okay, get back in the car.”

“Erik.” He held up his hand and she snapped her mouth shut. Erik was almost too shocked to move on from where he stopped at Raven’s compliance, except he reminded himself of her promise before.

“Back in the car,” he ordered. She glared at him for a few moments, but she followed his orders with only a pout on her lips. Erik moved back towards the bodies and searched the pockets. It only took him a few minutes before he managed to pull out a small key ring. There were only three keys on the ring, but only one had the company logo stamped on it. He patted the man’s face and stood. Raven watched him like a hawk as he moved across the parking lot and opened doors. She said nothing as he strode back and hefted the lighter man.

“Do you need help?” she broke the silence. Erik looked over his shoulder and frowned. She was leaning nearly out of the window, her fingers curled over the top of the glass.

“Not at the moment. Just stay in the car,” he ordered. Raven pouted at him, but she didn’t say a thing. He hefted the first man up, fireman’s carry and made his way towards the car, he’d left the door open. Erik bent down and the man practically dropped into the seat. There were only a few minutes he wasted in arranging the man’s body before he went back and did the same with the other.

Standing by the car, Erik stood for a few moments and flipped between the idea of whether he should let the men overheat in the car or turn on the vehicle. He stood for a few moments before he leaned over and twisted the key. The engine rumbled.

“There, now you can’t say I tried to kill you,” Erik muttered. He patted the man’s cheek before he moved away from the car and started towards his avenger. Raven had moved to sitting prettily in the passenger seat her hands curled slightly and an unimpressed look  on her face.

“Where are we going?” she asked. Erik first settled in his seat and stared out in front of them. There was only really one place he could drop her off at where she would be familiar with and it would be safe.

“My place.” Raven snapped her mouth shut; she stared at him warily. As he started the car, however, she returned her gaze to the front. Erik kept his attention off the way she steepled and then clenched together. Instead, he tried his damned hardest to think of a way to allow Raven to stay at his place while he kept his entire life away from her. He’d never had a lover outside of the company or its ways, and the only person he’d ever long term duped was Alex. He had no point of reference as to how to keep everything from Raven. Erik slid another look Raven’s way only to see her curled slightly in on herself. He reached over and placed a hand on the back of her neck. “It’ll be okay. I’ll make it okay,” he promised.

“How?” she asked. “Who? No, I can’t.” She continued to interrupt herself and then shook her head. She turned her face towards the passenger window. What she didn’t do was pull away from his hand. Erik turned his attention back to the road and traffic ahead of him. Within the silence, though, he could feel his muscles as they tightened ready to react to any threat. Along with the tension always came the headache. He tried to imagine Charles’ fingers digging in and releasing his wound muscles, except with the figment came the deep pull low in his stomach.

By the time Erik parked his car, his stomach was twisted with regret and a bit of loathing. Raven followed him, her head tilted down. She stopped at the bottom step and looked up at him.

“I don’t have clothes.” She stated.

“I’ll send Alex to get you some,” Erik replied. Raven hummed, but Erik couldn’t tell if it was in agreement or if she was thinking over his offer. “But I need you to stay put and don’t snoop around, okay? I have someone I need to talk to.”

“Whoever sent those men?” Raven asked. She stared at him; every part of stance was demanding an answer. He moved down the stairs, hooking a hand around the back of her neck once more, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Just don’t leave,” he whispered.

“Okay.” She agreed. Raven shuffled past him and nearly ran into his loft, Erik was at her heels, his hand stretched out to press the code to circumvent the alarm and then to punch the code back in once he was sure Raven wouldn’t need to leave the loft. She settled on the couch and picked at her clothing. “I wish, I wish he was here.” He didn’t ask who, instead he bowed his head in agreement.

“Me too.” Erik moved towards the door, his hand on the handle when Raven spoke up again.

“Erik?” He turned his head and looked at her. “Be safe okay?”

“I’ll do my best.” He turned back to the door, yet the sound of feet rushing toward him nearly had him flipping Raven to the ground, but he reminded himself that the only person in his loft was Raven and so he stood still as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She pressed her head to his shoulder blade and let out a shaky puff of breath.

“I mean it. Be safe, come back in one piece, just come back.” An ache throbbed in his chest. Erik reached down and patted one of Raven’s hands.

“Don’t worry, I’ll come back.”

“He always said that. I’ll come back Raven, and I won’t wait another year before I see you. Next time I’ll be able to stay longer. He was always so bad at keeping promises,” she admitted. Erik bit the inside of his cheek, he tried to steady his breathing. Raven wasn’t helping with the distance he’d been trying to create. Every word she said shattered through his resolve.

“I don’t break promises.” He pulled at her hand, forcing her to release him and stepped out of his home. Erik shook all what had happened out of his system. He released the grief that shook him to his core and exchanged it for the rage that had pulsed through him the second he’d realized that Azazel had attacked Raven. He pulled his phone from his pocket.

Moira answered quickly.

“Find something?”

“He went after Raven.”

“Son of a bitch! Do you need me to help? Do we need to get her back?” Moira asked. In the background he could hear Alex asking what the hell happened.

“I got there before they could grab her. I just need you to watch over my place. Make sure Shaw doesn’t show up and definitely make sure Azazel doesn’t know where I live. Though if he knows where Raven lives,” Erik trailed off, he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Yeah, going to be cautious on this one. Do you want me or Alex?” Moira asked.

“Alex. She knows for sure I’m working with him. We don’t need to give her anymore ins to my life,” Erik decided.

“I’ll let him know he’s on babysitting duty. Oh, and Erik?”

“Yes?”

“Make it hurt,” Moira said viciously. Erik smiled like some sort of beast at the phone.

“I will,” he promised.

“Good. I put Alex on his way, are you coming over after?”

“If I get what I want yes.”

“If not.”

“You’ll see Raven.”

“Erik, whatever you’re thinking you do-”

“Don’t tell I won’t have to do it alone, Moira. Do not tell me that,” he growled out.

“Fine. Just make sure you don’t get yourself killed by a two bit jackass okay?” she asked. 

“I thought Azazel was more than he appeared to you.”

“Make sure you come back with on his or his goons blood on your hands, I don’t think Raven will be okay if she loses you too.”

“Moira, I don’t need your pep talk or your guilt trip. I’ll come back, I promised Raven I would. I keep my promises,” Erik growled. One the other line Moira let out a breath.

“We’ll be waiting.”

“And keep Shaw out of my place, I don’t need him meeting Raven.”

“Aye, aye sir.” Erik dropped his phone on the passenger seat and peeled out. He did give a glance towards the phone as it laid prone on the seat. How much did he owe the unknown person on the other end, the one that no matter how often he had tried to trace it or tried an entire different system that it only bounced back at him with more and more useless information? Except he owed the other person more than a simple favor, they could ask him to meet them right then and he’d do it. Raven was that important. She was his last link and she was worming her way into his life by her own right. Erik clenched his jaw, he took a corner a little roughly, a move that would’ve sent Shaw into a fit and made Charles arch a brow at him.

 

The seat next to him didn’t have a passenger. It was empty as he whipped around the city. It would be the second time he went to Azazel’s by himself. His fingers tightened on the wheel. Erik stopped his car three blocks away from he’d last met Azazel, and he sat in his car breathing hard. Shoving his keys back into his pocket, he shook out his limbs as if that would calm him down. It didn’t quite work, but Erik hadn’t expected to it. He wanted blood, and the only thing that would calm him was time. One more breath, he sucked in and then slowly strolled forward.

Either Azazel had sent every last one of his body guards out one errands or he was trying to keep the bloodshed at a minimum. No one met him at the door or even as he walked through the hall. Erik pushed the door open and immediately grabbed for his gun. Azazel stood with his back to the door, almost as if he had no care in the world.

“I see you intercepted the messenger,” Azazel said slowly.

“What message was that supposed to be? Follow my rules or else? It seemed like an early play of the hand,” Erik commented. Azazel gave a shake of his head.

Azazel didn’t reply right away, instead surveyed Erik for a few long moments, his gaze calculating. "You'll get the whole picture soon." He waved his hand as if to brush away his last few words like they were a smoke in the air. “Now are you going to continue on whatever plot you had in mind when you came in here, or are we going to talk?”

“What made you think I didn’t want to just talk?” Azazel titled his head to the side.

“The gun, but then again, I’ve had chats with weapons before. Go on then.” He did another wave of his hand, as if he was allowing Erik to speak. The motion raked over Erik like hot coals. What he wanted was to show Azazel that he wasn’t really running the show.

“New rules.” He placed his gun back into the hostler.

“Oh?”

“I do this my way, you get whatever information you want, but your stipulations are no longer valid.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.” Azazel looked him over again before he clicked his tongue.

“And if I don’t agree to that?”

“Then I walk with the information.”

“With the information?”

Erik didn’t reply he just let his smile answer for the question.

Eyes narrowed and Erik found that maybe Azazel wasn’t as smooth as everyone had thought he was. He looked away back to the ground before he glanced back to Erik. “Fine. Get me the information, and I will get you yours. But, I am warning you, you had better be as good as I’ve heard, or the price you pay will not be one you ever want to pay again.” 

“Understood,” Erik growled.

Most of his body was held tight at the last bit. What Erik wanted was to wrap a string around Azazel’s neck and pull tightly. He wouldn’t let Raven become a victim in the crossfire; he jerked his head in a nod. As he turned to leave Azazel made no other request. The silence was the sort that meant a gun could get pulled at any moment, yet Erik still walked down the hall his steps measured up until he returned to his car. As he placed his hand along the door he let out a breath.

*

 

When Erik arrived back home, his kept the hum from the anger, he noticed that Shaw was sitting down in a lawn chair Erik had never seen before with a beer held in his hand and Moira’s complete attention on whatever story he was telling. His muscles tightened more if possible. Before he could interrupt whatever tale of childhood Shaw was retelling the phone vibrated.

He clenched his jaw and slammed his eyes shut as he tried his damnedest to just breathe. While he was grateful for his helper, while he couldn’t think of words to describe his feelings, he was just so tired of being the one in the dark while the other chess pieces moved. Still, he pulled the device from his pocket and opened the message. It was short, to the point and it was like a knife between his ribs.

 ** _I cannot thank you enough_**. Thank him for what, he wanted to demand. He wanted to throw the phone on the ground and crush it with his heel. For following the orders? What stake did his stalker have with Raven? He stared down at the phone, his entire body shook.

“Erik? Son?” Shaw’s voice was too damn close and then there was a hand on his shoulder. He lashed out.

The palm of his hand slammed against Shaw’s trachea before he could stop himself, his training overloading the rest of his senses. Somewhere in the distance he heard a chorus of voices and then there was Raven’s voice.

“Oh my God! Erik!” He stopped moving as she collided with him and sent him onto his back, the air shooting out from his body as his back collided with the unforgiving ground. Raven was on his chest, her elbows dug into him. “What the hell was that?” she demanded.

“Raven,” he gasped out. “I can’t really breathe with you on my diaphragm.” She scrambled off of him, but she still kept herself basically glued to his side her knees pressing against his ribs.

“What the hell happened? You went all Rambo on everyone?” she asked. “Did the guy not listen?”

“No, it’s. Just I need to talk to Moira about something. Just go back inside okay?” He patted her thigh. She stared at him for a few moments, almost as if she was about to not do what he asked. In the end, she nodded her head gave one glance to everyone in the vicinity before she ran off back into his loft.

“Is that Xavier’s little sister?” Shaw wheezed out. He held onto his throat and despite the pain he looked to be in, Erik could see the shine of pride in his eyes. “Are you stupid, kid? That is the worst thing you could ever do! You don’t get involved with your past! You just don’t, **do it**! I raised a moron!” Erik nearly lunged forward once more, but Moira had her hand on his and gave him a look.

“You wanted to talk?”

“Inside. Away from him. Alex is supposed to be keeping her busy right?” he asked.

“That was his job, but she did get out here.” Moira motioned between Shaw and him. Erik clenched his jaw, he rubbed a hand along it.

“Alex will handle it, if he knows what is good for him.”

“Or else big brother will be pissed?” Erik snorted. One thing he knew about Alex was the big brother topic was a hot button one.

“Something like that.” He pushed himself from the ground. A couple of swipes at his pants and then strolled towards the building. Shaw was still behind him ranting and raving as much as he could with his bruise. Erik just waved him off, and Moira trailed behind him a few step up until they reached the door. There she placed a hand on his back and pulled at his shirt.

“What happened between you and Azazel?” she asked.

“I told him I’d get the information on my terms, or I would walk with it.” Erik answered.

“You’re still getting him the information? That is insane! He tried to attack Raven for no good reason!”

“He can give me a link to who burned me, which is not something anyone else can do.”

“And what if he’s lying?”

“I have a contingency plan for that,” Erik answered. He hand his hand on the door.

“Do you have a plan for how you’re going to get into that place?”

“A partnership.”

 

*

 

Charles was talking to him, a long string of consciousness sometimes he’d drop in a few fuck, shit, or damn it in his rambling. Maybe it was just to let Erik know that he was still there, he hadn’t cut and run. The chattering lasted for five minutes before Charles took a deep breath.

“Alright we’ll do this another way. How many men?” Charles asked. Erik tapped three times. “Three, okay do they look like security?” One tap, for no. “Business?” Two taps. A light flooded below him, Erik pulled his arms and legs closer to his body. His balance quivered.

“Our sixteen time frame is up, the security team should be making their sweep I’ll have to go silent on you. Ready?” Two taps. “Stay safe and damn it don’t do anything too heroic.” Erik would’ve snorted if he hadn’t needed to keep completely silent. With Charles out of his ear the conversation between the three men because a little easier to hear. They were talking about corporate espionage, about sending someone in to lift a few bits of something or another so they could get the baseline. Erik smiled to himself as one of the men began to flail his harms, yet as he did he gave Erik a clear view of one of the other men.

The face didn’t immediately ring a bell, but it was one that Erik knew he had seen at some point in his life. His brain nearly screamed at him that there was something going on that he needed to remember. He tapped on his ear piece and continued on until Charles came back online.

“What? What?” Erik took a deep breath and tried to remember the code from training. “Sweetheart? Are you compromised?” One tap. “Well what then?” Erik tentatively tried to make out the code against his earpiece. “Familiar face? Good enough that you know who it is?” One tap. “Well that’s fantastic. Tell me more about it when we can actually speaking. What are they doing in there.” Erik replied. “Talking? I do wish they’d hurry up we have a schedule to keep.” Erik smiled. 

One of the men turned on the computer and then sat down to type something. Erik gritted his teeth; most of his body was beginning to shake from the strain or they were falling asleep. His interest only peaked when one of the men handed over a disk and the other uploaded whatever information it was onto the computer as opposed to taking something else. The fat cats were arrogant it looked like. In his ear Charles had started to narrate the movements of the guards, he had even started in with giving them different voices and accents. Erik was fairly certain that one was named Sally, and Sally walked like he was going to whip out a giant gun and just go to town. He couldn’t tell however if Charles preferred Sally over the sleazy Carl and his pinup magazine stash. Erik was almost too enthralled in entire story telling Charles had come up with, that he nearly missed the three men and their secret hand shake of the illuminati or whatever they were part of.

The second they left the room, Erik shook his limbs out and then swung down, landing on the ground just about as gracefully as he could manage. He rocked back onto his heels and then proceeded to stretch his limbs as he walked back towards the computer.

“I thought they were never going to leave and that I was going to have to blow up something,” Charles commented in his ear. “Also they intercepted a group of men who were going to make sure everything was secure on your floor. It’s like you’re some sort of lucky bastard or something.”

“You were going to blow something up? Are you sure you remember how?” Erik asked. He settled down on the chair, it was warm from the previous body. Stopping himself right before pressed the power button, Erik furrowed his brow. Even with Charles’ distracting ways he couldn’t remember watching any of the men power down the computer. He pulled his hand back and moved the mouse.

“I would’ve done just fine. Though you really need to teach me how to do some of yours, they’re absolutely stunning,” Charles continued on in his ear. The screen flickered on cheerfully showing the desktop of rolling hills and clouds.

“Later, Darling,” Erik murmured.

“What’s wrong?” Charles sounded startled.

“What?”

“You petnammed me, you only do it when you’re pissed or something else is up. I know you.”

“The computer is on.”

“They left it on?”

“They turned it on when they were in here and they didn’t power it down.” He listened as Charles moved around in the security hub. He could hear the distant clicking of Charles’ fingers against keys.

“I can’t find them on the screen. Erik, darling, love of my life, just get this done and drop.” Drop, Erik took a deep breath. Drops weren’t things they did often. They were what he and Charles called quick exits in moments when finesse wasn’t possible.

He jammed the stick into a port and watched as it did most of the work.

“Remember when we used to actually have to do most of the work?” He could hear as Charles chuckled low under his breath, and he could also hear as his fingers clicked on the keyboard along with Erik’s.

“You mean when I used to do most of the work remotely?” he asked.

“I think what I actually mean is when a handler would do most of the work. Remember we’re just the muscle,” Erik teased.

“Ah, yes, Dearest, how could I ever forget that. Is your hook still in?”

“I can get it in while our butler is working.”

“Do that or else you’re going to have to sneak down about seventeen floors before I can find a safe dropping point.”  Erik hummed in agreement; he slid from the chair and moved back to his entry point. Something he could appreciate was that he’d at least chosen his entry point where the men hadn’t needed to stare at while they had their secret meeting. Erik placed his hook gently and then returned back to the computer.

“Is it done yet?” Charles asked. “I am starting to prep my own extraction.”

“Stepping out on me already?”

“Can’t help it, the Fairy Godmother gave me the worst curfew.”

“And here I was hoping for one more dance.”

“Sorry to disappoint maybe later back at home? Or in that lovely hotel you convinced our employers to get us?”

“I convinced them of nothing, I thought it was you.”

“Oh, I have the best silver tongue in the business-”

“I know”

“-but even I’m not that good. You almost done?”

“One more minute is what it’s telling me,” Erik answered.

“Tell it to hurry up!”

“Will do, hopefully it will become semi-sentient and listen to me. In a hurry to follow your godmother’s rules?”

“That and I don’t like leaving you blind,” Charles replied with a huff. Erik can almost picture Charles perfectly pacing around the security hub much like a disgruntled superior security officer all while he waited for something to happen.

“Go.”

“But.”

“Charles go. I’ll make my drop, but you’ll be running out of time if you don’t go now. I know your way out is a longer trip than mine.”

“Not if you go seventeen floors,” Charles reminded him petulantly.

“Charles please, go, for me.” An irritated growl sounded in Erik’s ear before he heard another string of complaints and curses all until they slowly quieted down and he heard a soft fine.

“Only because I trust you to not muck about while I am away.”

“Putting up your glass slippers.”

“Yes putting those dreadful things up. I would imagine that they are quite cruel on the feet.”

“I would imagine that yes, but Charles?”

“Yes?”

“I love you, but quit stalling.”

“Fine! I am leaving. Radio silence until your drop?”

“Sounds good.”

“I hate when this happens.”

“I know you do. I hate it too.” He listened as Charles let out a sigh, it was one he knew as Charles’ prepping sigh. Right before he started to get ready for something that he’d rather not do, he would let out a specific sound that pulled at Erik. The earpiece crackled once Charles was gone.

Erik stared at the screen as it systematically pulled all the information that their bosses wanted and maybe a bit more. He wasn’t quite sure what the men had put on it, but for all he knew they could’ve given him and Charles a break. Or, it could be absolutely nothing that they’d find of interest.

Once it was all finished Erik hesitated his finger hovered over the power button before he just pushed back and let the screen eventual fade dark. With a  tug on the rope, he made sure it was secure mindful of the words Charles had said earlier. With that he stepped out of the window and made his drop. Air whooshed past his years and for a moment he was weightless.

“I still hate when you do that,” Charles said below him, blue eyes wide. “You look like you’re jumping to your death.”

 

*

 

Erik tore a piece of his sandwich off and watched the guard exchange. During the day they made their rounds every two hours, unless someone felt unsafe and then they upped them for three hours before they returned to their regular pattern. At night, he noticed their rounds were rather intense within the first four hours, but then they slowed to almost a dead stop, but once the actual men stopped the computer system kicked onto overdrive. The setup he and his partner would have to have would be much like he and Charles used to utilize. One person in the main security hub, pulling most of the strings to allow the extractor enough to time to get in and out.

Erik was an extractor, his training under Shaw had basically made extracting second nature only to bomb making and twisted childhood traumas. He took a sip of his iced tea and watched for a few more minutes. The men in the buildings seemed lax, motions at ease.

Erik picked up his phone.

“Alex now.” He only waited a few minutes before an alarm went off and he was treated to a show of men and women rushing about like their heads were cut off. A few took a shorter route, while the rest scrambled to cut of whoever triggered them. “You ghosted this one, correct?”

“Do you think I am an idiot?”

“Jury is still out on that one.”

“Fuck you.” Erik smiled widely, his gaze turned back down to his watch, counting all the time it took for the guards to secure the room. In his passenger seat, Moira sat with a laptop perched on her and her fingers dancing along the keys.

“The system is amazing. If I got in there, if I could get my hands on it, I would decimate it,” Moira told him proudly. He glanced over his shoulder.

“Is that your way of asking for a way in?”

“If I wanted in I would ask in,” Moira huffed.

“Do you want in?” Erik slid a look her way. A smile was twitching at the edges of her lips. Moira looked away from her screen; she pushed her hair back over her shoulder and gave a look that almost said she was contemplating his words. Erik waited patiently as he could in his ear he could hear Alex breathing.

“Are you asking me that?” Alex asked.

“No. You’re not good enough.”

“Gee thanks for that asshole.”

“You’re welcome.” Moira snorted, she tapped a finger along her chin.

“I’ll be your second, if I’m _good enough_.” Erik looked her over once more and pressed down on his watch. Eighteen minutes to get it fully locked down. Erik had seen better and he’d seen worse, and if the alarms were quiet enough eighteen minutes were more than enough for the security team and evaporated quickly for anyone else.

“Alex.”

“What asshole?” He ignored the comment.

“When you tripped it, when your _ghost_ tripped it, did it pick up any overt noises from the alarm system or did it seem like all was well?” he asked.

“Actually for a little while it did seem like it was all okay. Like ten minutes in was when it started up noticeably.” Which was why the security personnel hadn’t needed to rush too much and why eighteen minutes was what a top notch team did. Erik crumpled up his sandwich wrapped and tossed it in the back seat. Moira made a face at the action but she didn’t say a word instead she powered down her laptop, slid it back into its case, and then tucked it safely underneath her seat. 

“We’re going back. You have ten minutes or I’m leaving without you,” Erik informed Alex. Moira glanced back at the seat Erik had deposited his trash in and then to the other seat that was covered in gear.

“I see whatever Alex is yelling into your ear isn’t bothering you one bit,” she commented.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Erik replied. Moira snorted and then placed her hands primly on her lap. Even after the weeks of being in almost constant contact with her, there were moments Erik couldn’t quite believe he was working with Moira MacTaggert and that they had come to a point where there was even something akin to friendship. Charles would be stunned. His mouth would hang wide open in the shock of the moment. Erik demolished the thought as he spotted the shape of Alex jogging back towards the car.

“In three days we’ll do the mission,” he told Moira.

“Sounds good to me,” she agreed. Alex plopped down in the back seat and then gave a growl. He shifted around for a bit and then the next think Erik felt was a small object as it hit the back of his seat.

“Asshole!” Alex growled.

 

*

 

“Does this work?” Moira asked. She turned around in a maintenance uniform to which Alex muttered something under his breath and Erik mostly ignored. Shaw however found it a moment to compliment Moira on not only her figure, Erik shuddered as he did, but also her patience for dealing with Erik.

“Now what are you two doing again?” Shaw asked. He leaned over Erik’s counter, an intrigued expression on his face all while he looked over Moira like she was a very nice piece of meat. Moira for her part mostly ignored him by playing with one of the devices Erik had fashioned for her. That shopping trip, with Raven in tow of course, she hardly left his side when she wasn’t at work, had been interesting. The glances he had gotten at his basket were more or less confused.

“Work.” Erik snapped. He pulled at his clothing. For the most part he was dressed normally, something that a person wouldn’t take a second glance at.

“So, is she going to do all the work?” Shaw popped a chip in his mouth and chewed loudly. Erik glared. “Aww, did I hurt your tender feelings Erik?”

“Actually, Erik here is doing most of the heavy lifting,” Moira defended. Erik furrowed his brows and just looked at her. He wasn’t quite sure he was ready for the moment Moira decided he was worthy of defending. “I just get to be the brains.” She threw an elbow his way, catching him lightly in the ribs. Erik didn’t even move, his phone had vibrated in his pocket and made one pitiful chirp before he fished it out. The number again. The texts had been more frequent and often they had raised his interest in his stalker more. They had been more or less little things like suggestions to maybe pull out a light jacket if he was going out in the morning.

It was turning into a strange companionship that Erik wasn’t sure he wanted to fight. He should, every other instinct in his body screamed at him to just stop all what he was doing and not go along with his helper. Yet there was also a part of him that couldn’t find any fault with what the texts told them. They all led him to where he wanted to go, and they even tried to help with the advice they gave backfired. With a raising like he’d had from Shaw, it was a strange notion, but not one he was completely unfamiliar with. It was almost like Charles.

Except Charles was dead and gone, at least that was the only way Erik could accept the five years. For four years, six months, and two weeks, Erik had fought against any idea that Charles was dead that he wasn’t somewhere in the world trying to get back to Erik. But then he’d nearly botched a mission, and he’d gotten a tiny bit shaken from the past. Not completely, he always held Charles with him. He pressed view on the message.

 ** _Sky’s all clear today, nice suit weather._** Erik fought back the small curl of his lips.

“Let’s go Moira, and you,” He pointed to Shaw, “Get out. Go do whatever you do when you’re not here.”

“Don’t trust me in your place?”

“No, and I don’t trust you not to try and weasel your way into good graces either.” Shaw just looked at him; his expression spoke enough of his opinion of Erik’s thoughts on the matter. He placed another chip in his mouth and crunched loudly before making a show of hemming and hawing over what Erik had said.

“You’re very protective of Xavier’s sister. Are you sure you aren’t falling for another one?” Shaw asked. “Though I couldn’t blame you she has something more than-” Shaw doesn’t finish the sentence or more, Erik doesn’t let him finish. He lunged forward, his hands wrapped around Shaw’s throat and his knee found its home in Shaw’s gut as they fell hard on his tiled floor. Erik’s other knee cracked hard against the ground, sending hot pain through his leg and up his thigh. He ignored it though more for the sound Shaw gave as the air was knocked out of him. Though his mentor hadn’t gone down with a fight, Erik could feel his fingers as they hovered precariously over a pressure point. Erik snarled at him.

Yet, as soon as it started, Erik moved away from Shaw. He brushed his clothing off roughly, hands dragging against fabric. He tried to calm himself, shake the raged that coursed through him out. Charles had always said his rage was a terrifying thing but it could be put to a good use if he could just find a balance between it and serenity. He had called Charles a hippie and then proceeded to press him against the wall. They had made a night of it.

Erik clenched his eyes shut.

“Let’s go.” He motioned towards Moira, but he didn’t look at her. They left mostly in silence, Moira moving behind him. He could hear her clothing as it rustled with her movements. That would have to be something that she got rid of the second she touched down.

“You know, honestly, I am surprised you even let him live, or even showed that much restraint.”

“He went down without too much of a fight, something was up,” Erik explained. “Shaw, he knows me, but the road goes two ways. I know him just as well. So, when he went down like that, it wasn’t because I am better. I am, but I telegraphed everything I just did to him, and he still went down.”

“Sounds like you two have a complicated relationship. How’s Raven doing with this whole living with you?” Moira switched gears as the both got in his car. Erik thought on the young blonde woman, of her wide honest smile and the moments where he could see her just barely holding herself back from asking him a question, any question.

“When I’m home, she sticks to me like a second skin. Jumpier, she’s jumpier too, but,” he trailed off.

“But there is a good reason for why she is and she’s Charles’ little sister. I wasn’t aware your foster father knew his real last name. I mean he said it before, but it didn’t quite catch until today. He knew Charles?”

Erik dragged a finger along his jaw, and then tapped his fingers against it. They were at a stoplight and his entire body felt like it was going to scream. “We ran into him once. It was a day off. Charles was less than impressed.”

“I bet. So, this mission, anything you want me to know? With how you do partner work, I mean.” Erik clenched his jaw, and then released the muscle. He gave a soft sigh, his fingers worked along the edges of the wheel.

“You know the usual code, right?”

“For if one of us can’t talk? Yeah, anyone worth their salt knows that one.”

“Good enough for detailed conversation?” he asked.

“Maybe not that good, but good enough that we’ll get by.”

“Good. Here’s our stop. I’ll see you in about an hour?” Moira wrenched open the door, she turned her head and looked at him over her shoulder.

“If I’m not back by an hour and a half the mission is botched.”

“Same.” She laughed. Moira walked with confidence all up until she made her way into the building. Then she switched up her body language. It wasn’t something too many people would notice, but Erik, it was his people who usually did exactly that. He waited twenty minutes before he slide out from his car. There was a suitcase in his backseat, it had nothing in it, though the handle had a nice docking station that allowed for him to store information. He carried a spare handle in his jacket pocket.

The building, as he walked into it, wasn’t incredibly impressive. Not for a man of his background, but he supposed it was nice enough for the security that surrounded it. The floor looked marble even if it wasn’t, with a design that Erik was fairly certain they should’ve gone without it was already straining his eyes as he glanced down. Lifting his chin up, Erik gave a sweep of the room. There were mostly civilians, but speckled amongst them the security officers stood. He moved amongst crowd as if he were one of them, every part of his body was calculated to draw attention away from him. His posture, even the way he inhaled and exhaled was all tailored to make people glance over him. It had been a trick more than enough hadn’t been able to believe he could do. Charles had once been amongst them.

He slid into the elevator. No one else joined him.

The metal doors closed and Erik shed his clothing. Underneath he wore something a little less business formal and a little more skin tight. Setting down the brief case he exchanged the handles and slide out his information chip from the hollowed one. He pressed an earpiece in and then waited for the noise of the connection.

“Hello, boy,” Moira greeted.

“You in place?” he asked.

“Right where I need to be, and I see this man who just did a strip tease for me.”

“Fascinating, how about you go play with the cameras a bit?”

“Will do, sir, oh and we have a downed man in the hub. Just giving you variables.”

“How long will he be out?”

“Depends on if I can get the tranq amount right. It’s kind of hard eyeballing it; we’re not all super spies.” Erik cracked a smile. Looking up at the at the camera he gave a short nod.

“We all have our _special_ skills,” Erik agreed. He listened as Moira chuckled in his ear. She shuffled in his ear piece and then he heard her settled. The sound of her flingers clacking against the keys gave him the only heads up he needed.

“Five, four, three, two, one. See you on the otherside Lehnsherr.” Her voice became crackled and tinny at the end. Erik felt almost as if a weight lifted off of him. First time in over five years since he’d been on a real duo mission, and it went off without a hitch. He waited until the elevator went to the correct floor, rerouted via Moira.

The doors dinged open, but there was no one in the hall. Still Erik slide out and pressed his body close to a wall, feeling the chill of it as it tried to seep through the fabric. He quietly counted to eight before he took off for a quick run. Halfway down the hall he went to his knees and slid the rest of the way with his back arched only slightly arms flung out to his side with his fingertips grazing the floor only a little. Erik moved one leg closer to the other. The motion overbalanced him and he rolled to a stop, landing on his hands instead. Charles would’ve loved it.

Erik pushed himself to standing; he brushed the dirt from his clothing and then strolled towards the main door. There was no ping from Moira, indicating that she was going to break their silence to alert him of anyone in the room. He inserted the chip into keypad and then manually hacked from there. Erik’s fingers felt like they were too clumsy for the delicacy needed to open the door within the first few minutes. It would’ve been something he and Charles had split down the middle. Erik worked on one half and Charles worked on the other while they both kept a curious eye to make sure they weren’t picked up by the system.

Seven minutes later he was in and the door opened like a charm. Erik waltzed into the room only to get a ping from Moira and then a message of ‘scientist’ from the code. Immediately he dropped to his knees and pressed against one of the men columns that were in the room. He tapped back an inquiry on the general vicinity. Moira messaged back with six meters. Either the scientist had just arrived from a blind spot or Moira had had a little trouble gaining access to the camera. He hoped for the former.

He kept his body close to any object he could, as he tried to get a visual on the scientist. One more room and he’d be home free, yet as he moved around he couldn’t find the scientist. They had either moved with him or Moira had seen something. He tapped out a question of if she could get any visual of him, and then placed his hand atop the counter. Her answer of no set a lump of dread in his stomach. Someone else was screwing with their computers. Erik took the chance. He stood up and glanced around the lab. No one stood in it. He as absolutely alone.

“New plan. I am going into the next room, and getting the information. You know what dropping is?” he broke the silence completely

“Dropping?” Moira parroted.

“I’m taking that as a no. Just, pack up and get out. I’ll meet you as soon as possible,” he ordered.

“I’m closing everything down as we speak. Just be careful okay, Lehnsherr? See you in thirty?”

“Plan on twenty.” He cut the transmission. The entire room was silent almost disturbingly so. Erik moved his hand down to his calf and dislodged the knife he kept strapped there. One thing Sebastian couldn’t call him was unprepared. Moving his grip along the handle Erik made himself as comfortable as he could be, but the silent room was more conductive for putting his entire being on edge. Keeping his footsteps as quiet as he possibly could, He moved towards the second door, all while he made plans for how he was going to escape from the whole thing. He pressed his freehand to the door and then pushed. Inside the scientist he was sure Moira had seen previously stood with their back to the door. Erik angled his body to hide the blade he kept.

The scientist turned and was revealed to be distinctly female. She arched a brow in his direction before she stepped back her hand reaching for a button. Erik moved quickly, launching over the desk and then wrapping his free hand around her wrist to pull her close to his chest. She didn’t really struggle; instead she seemed to try to press her body closer to his. Erik twisted her around and pressed her against the desk.

“I didn’t think they’d send someone like you,” she whispered.

“Like me?” Erik asked. A vicious grin appeared over her face, she gave a half-hearted struggled and then tilted her head back almost as if she were surrendering. Erik had the feeling that wasn’t the case.

“Let’s pretend for a moment that we’re both that dumb. You knew something was up the second you got into the other room, so why come in still? Because you get the job done, even if it kills you, you’ll finish it out. I thought you were a dead breed.” Erik moved back, he kept the woman within sights.

“Agency?” he asked. She rubbed her wrist and smiled at him.

“Of course. Though can you guess which one?” she asked.

“Doesn’t matter, it just means you can’t leave,” Erik told her. She made an ‘o’ shape with her mouth.

“That so, Mister big and tough?” Erik gave her a dark smile. If Shaw ever found out, he’d be so proud, and despite shuddering away from the thought he shot forward, knife at the ready.

 

*

 

Moira was waiting in the car by the time he settled in the driver’s seat. She looked at him like she hadn’t expected him to return. Erik said nothing and held up the stick with the information, she took it wordlessly. Her fingers danced over dark stick, and her gaze was fixated on it. Erik looked away and started to drive. Moira never once pulled the laptop out from under her seat, she didn’t exactly moved until he parked his car and was out of it, bounding for the shower. As he walked into his loft, he neither saw hide nor hair of Raven or Alex. For the most part he ignored their absence and instead he moved towards his shower.

The front door opened halfway into his shower.

“Erik?” Moira called out. He stepped out from under the spray and wrapped a towel around his hips. Moira didn’t even pause when he stepped out of the bathroom. Instead she sat down the stick beside one of her more junker type of laptops. “Who fucked with our mission?”

“It wasn’t intentional,” Erik told her. Moira looked up at him, shock written all over her face.

“Somehow two ops happened at the same time, which is probably why Azazel wanted his done so quickly.

“That son of a bitch!” she hissed. “How do you know all of this?”

“An agent.” Her mouth snapped shut and her fingers stilled along the keyboard. Her body was ramrod straight as she returned her gaze to the screen. Erik turned from her, intent on getting some food in their stomachs as they decoded the information.

One the counter by the sink his phone buzzed three consecutive times. Erik accepted each text.

**_Nice work._ **

**_A little vicious with the hiccup though._ **

**_Have to admit, you’re very talented for a spy that’s been burned_**.

Erik raised one brow up before he moved his hands over his own keyboard. Before he could take anything back he typed out an inquiry on how his _friend_ knew about the hiccup.

**_Oh, I have my ways to get the info I need, or you need. Trust me?_ **

He stared at the screen for what felt like a good ten minutes before he replied with ‘for now’. His stalker didn’t text back. Breaking out the wine, Erik handed a glass to Moira as she worked. He didn’t ask why she had picked the computer she had, if anything was stored on the information that would take out her equipment she wanted it on something she didn’t care about losing.

Moira grabbed his wrist, and then pointed towards the screen. They both stared at it, like it was going to explode on them. Erik pulled back first, shaking her grip from him. There was little way that the information was completely correct instead it had to be something falsified. Erik rubbed a hand over his eyes.

“We need someone who can deal with this better than we can,” he stated.

“But who? Do you have a genius in your back pocket?” she asked. Erik stilled, all of his muscles felt like they had contracted as he slowly turned his head to a lone silver briefcase that had sat in his house for a very long time.

“Does Hank still want his serum back?” he inquired. Moira followed his gaze; understanding blossomed on her face within moments. Her lips curled into a wry smile.

“I believe he does. Shall I set up the meeting?” She had already pulled out her phone.

“Please do.” 


	8. Would I Lie To You?

Erik waited in his living room, a mug of coffee in his hand, as he watched Moira usher Hank out of the car and towards his home. Hank looked like he was suspicious of the whole thing and Erik didn’t blame him. If the scientist had just gone along with everything, Erik was fairly certain he’d start to feel a certain amount of suspicion if Hank had just waltzed in like he was certain of himself. Raven was bristling behind him for some reason her hands wringing themselves until she let out a loud sigh. Erik turned towards her just as the door opened and Moira entered with Hank trailing behind her like a lost puppy.

“You liar!” Raven screamed. Everyone turned to look at her—Erik furrowed his brows, his lips twisted downwards into a frown. “Who are you?” She rushed up to him and pressed her hands against his chest, shoving him hard, and Erik rocked back with the movement. Wrapping a hand around both of Raven’s wrists, he twisted her around until her back as to his chest and held her tight. She whipped her head back and forth for a few moments before she stopped with a huff.

“Moira will you please take Hank to the backroom, while I deal with this?” Erik tried to sound as pleasant as possible, but he knew with the slight arched expression on Moira’s features that it hadn’t exactly worked.

“Sure. I’ll go do that, though you might want to fix that.” She pushed Hank towards the room where they had set up their modified laptop. Erik made one sharp nod before he turned Raven back around to face him. Her face was red from anger, but her eyes were wet from held tears.

“Everything I ever knew was a lie, a huge lie. When Charles lied about you two not being together, I just thought he wasn’t ready to tell me he had a boyfriend instead of a girlfriend. I assumed that he just needed time, and then he died. He died and then I thought he might’ve done something more than just been an office worker. Hell, I looked at you and I knew you couldn’t be some paper pusher. But basically a spy? What the hell, Erik? Did you two just run around saving the world? Or trading secrets? I don’t know the whole story, how can I? _Who were you and Charles_?” She rambled for a good while, the tears released, and Erik let her go as well. Raven stumbled back; her hand covered her face as she sobbed.

“I,” he stopped his voice cut out like he was some sort of record, “I need to go deal with this right now, Raven.” As gently as he could, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I want to know now!” she demanded. Erik closed his eyes tightly, he didn’t have time to try and convince Raven to do it his way.

“Raven, there is something very important that needs my attention. I _need_ to deal with it. Later,” he urged. Raven snagged her bottom lip. She looked like she was about to argue, like she wanted to say more. Except instead she abruptly deflated in his arms, her forehead pressed against his shoulder.

“Will you tell me, will you tell me later?” she asked, her voice was slightly muffled but it was enough that he knew exactly what she was saying.

“Yes, we just, we have some things we need to get done.”

“Top secret ex-spy things?” she asked.

“Yes that,” Erik agreed distractedly. His eyes caught sight of one Alex Summers. Moira could handle Hank alone for a few more minutes, Erik decided. Pulling out a few bills, Erik pulled on one of Raven’s hands before he placed the bill on her palm. “Can you get some things from the store for supper?” he asked. Raven looked up from her hands, her face blotchy and her eyes red.

“You just want me out of the house,” she accused.

“Momentarily yes, if you would prefer just waiting by my car while I deal with something that’ll work too,” Erik admitted. She stared at him for a good few moments her mouth open before she snapped it shut and turned heel. The front door slammed, and the second it did Erik strode forward.

He threw Alex up against his fridge, arm against the kid’s throat as he glared him down. Alex pulled and pried at the arm before he swung his leg out. Erik dropped his arm and moved back out of the way of the leg, but he still kept his eyes narrowed.

“You told her,” he growled.

“Of course I told her! Are you sure you didn’t teach her interrogation tactics? Because she’s really good at getting information out of people!” Alex yelled. He rubbed at his throat.

“What exactly did you tell her?”

“I said that you and Charles were like James Bond’s or some shit and you knew what you were doing when you deal with this shit. I didn’t tell her you were burned or that Charles was burned. That’s all I said, but if you fucking touch me one more time,” Alex threatened.

Erik stepped forward once more.

“If I touch you one more time?” He titled his head to the side. “You’ll what, Summers?”

“I will walk, and when you find that you need someone other than the braniac and Ms. Spy, you’ll be screwed. I will walk out of here and you’ll never see me again,” Alex snarled right back. Erik just smiled, his lips stretched wide over teeth.

“You can’t leave, Alex.”

“Oh, and why’s that.” Erik stepped closer, but he didn’t touch the blonde, instead his hand hovered above his shoulder.

“Because you know far too much,” he answered.

“So, you’re what? Going to kill me?” Alex challenged. If Erik had left him any space, he was sure the boy would’ve taken a step forward.

“Use your head for a moment. I don’t need to kill you to make sure you can’t talk.” Alex turned his head to the side; he let out a huff of air between closed teeth.

“And you need me.” He stated. Erik rolled his eyes.

“Yes, I would rather not have to retrain someone else to tricks,” Erik replied, “but I trusted you with Raven, and you let everything slip.”

“I—” Alex cut himself off and shook his head. “She knew nothing! I just I didn’t want her to have to deal with that shit I did.” Erik tried to relax his jaw, part of him knew exactly where Alex was coming from and it made sense to him.

“There’s a big difference between your brother disappearing and being told your brother is dead and just not knowing how he died.” Alex kept facing away. “We’re even now.”

“Erik! Stop having your heart-to-heart and get in here!” Moira yelled. He stepped back away from Alex and let out one slow smooth breath.

“But, next time you talk about spies make sure you don’t say anything more about Charles,” he warned.

“I don’t know shit about him anyway, so not a big deal,” Alex shot back. Erik gritted his teeth; he tried to keep his calm.

“Just go get Raven, tell her to come back in,” he ordered. The fact that Alex snapped to attention spoke louder volumes than anything he could’ve said. He turned back to where Moira had taken Hank. Rounding the corner, Erik found that both Moira and Hank were watching the doorway. Moira looked more amused while Hank had an expression that was more of curiosity mixed with fear.

“Have fun with the kids?” Moira asked. Erik waved her off, and instead moved closer to where they were seated. Hank’s entire body went stiff the closer that Erik came until he was like a statue.

“Ready?” he motioned towards the laptop. Hank swallowed hard.

“I know you’ve modified this, but why?” Hank motioned towards it all. “I’m not going to go off and betray you. I want that serum.”

“And I’ve dealt with enough computer people to know that they _think_ that they can sneak in and still get around all of the agreements because they suspect they are the brightest people in the room.”

“But I am. Or else you wouldn’t have called me in.” Moira smiled over Hank’s head.

“And I know exactly what to look for if you had decided to betray us.”

“Plus, if he thought he found proof that you betrayed him, he’d just end up hunting you down and killing you,” Moira added unhelpfully. Hank went pale. “Think of it as a safety precaution not only for us, but for yourself as well.” Erik leaned down and whispered in her ear.

“You are a terrible person,” he told her. Moira just smiled.

“I was only taking the cue from you,” she told him. Erik had to smile just a little bit at that. In his pocket his phone buzzed.

 ** _He’s getting antsy_**. 

Erik hesitated a brief moment, and his eyes danced over the words a couple of times before he let out a puff of breath. They would have to get it all worked through before Azazel got too perturbed. Another buzz came from his pocket.

**_He assumes you already have the info._ **

He cocked his head a little at that bit of information, either his friend is becoming less wary of him pinpointing where he could be from, or there was something more to the game. Somehow his stalker knew exactly how Azazel felt about his new mission and he had also known about the men. His stalker was on par with his abilities, if he had all the information. So why he had decided to contact Erik in that way he had was still confusing. It was almost in a teasing way.

“Where did you guys get this?” Hank asked his fingers paused on the keyboard, but his gaze—when Erik took a moment to glance up from his phone—was fixed on the screen. “It’s, this information is something my old bosses would’ve killed for. I mean this is something that, this is either treason or proof that our government is, well it isn’t doing anything its citizens would approve of.”

“Well, would you care to tell me what exactly what it is you’re looking at, or do I get to take a peek?” Erik asked. Hank jumped a little, his shoulders tense and almost up to his ears.

“It’s called Cerebro.” Erik arched his brows upwards, prompting him to go on. “From what I can tell it’ll take surveillance to an even higher level. I mean with things like the Patriot Act surveillance is already kind of scary, but this is like it’s on steroids. Though it looks like they’re missing a bit of information, I can’t tell for sure but there is something that doesn’t quite connect.”

“And?”

“And they’re looking for it; I mean this is what the other half is about. It’s covered up with all this talk about Cerebro, but that’s to hide the fact that this program isn’t ready,” Hank explained.

“Hank, can you separate the information out on this computer?” Erik leaned down. He nudged Hank a little bit out of the way as he poured over the information. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Moira shifting closer, as she arched her neck also trying to get a view of what Hank had pointed out to them.

“Um, I think I could, what do you need me to do?” Hank asked.

“I need you to doctor some of this information for me. Take out another piece of Cerebro, but not the same that is out now, and add information about a second lead in Singapore.”

“Singapore?” Moira questioned.

“Yes, Singapore.”

“Why not take an off-shoot of where it’s already missing?” Hank asked. Erik tapped the screen with his pointer finger, the exact area where the missing piece was.

“Because Azazel probably has that missing piece, and he’ll know already how much he has and doesn’t have,” Erik answered.

“And he’ll know that we made his hole wider because if he got the information accidentally,” Moira trailed off. Erik could see the cogs working in her mind.

“Then there could be a slight chance that someone else stripped a bit of information too, but from a different entry point,” Erik finished for her.

“Cerebro wasn’t stored all together before, was it, Hank?” Moira asked. Hank’s long fingers sped across the keys in a blur. He didn’t stop until he snatched his hands back off of the laptop like it had burned him, and slammed into his chair. He looked paler than when they had threatened him before.

“Hank?”

“It was spread out, I mean I checked most of, I just checked it and it was spread out over the world, but my company had a hold and the missing bit. It’s, well I would have to have the missing bit and then find its origin.”

“Grab the bits closest to Singapore and then we’ll be done.” Erik ordered. “You’ll be done by any means.”

“And by done you mean?”

“He means you’ll be able to leave as long as you promise to take your serum and you do not give it back to the people who you once worked for,” Moira answered.

“Or you can stick around, forego the serum and get to see exactly what this has to offer,” Erik added. Hank appeared unsure for a few moments. He looked between the laptop, Erik and then to the doorway. He closed his eyes then let out a shaky breath.

“I am going to regret this, but I want to see where this ends.”

“Good.” Erik set his hand down on Hank’s back. With a couple of pats he moved away from the other man to face Moira more. “Thoughts?”

“I am still trying to find out why Singapore?” Moira asked. Erik dragged his hand across his jaw.

“Last mission Charles and I had done before our relationship. If anyone knows us _that_ well it’ll be a clue to what exactly happened with this information,” Erik answered. Moira kept quiet. In the background, Hank’s typing kept their time.

“They’ll know you doctored the information?” Moira asked.

“Yes, it lets me know how much Azazel knows about me and if he has my helper in his pocket.”

“You think your helper is part of Azazel’s group?” she asked.

“This is one way to find out.” Erik motioned towards Hank and the laptop. Moira hummed, she tucked a hand beneath her chin.

“What if he decides to hide it, the fact that he knows,” she asked.

“He can’t chance it. That information is something he wants badly enough that he’s willing to push my hand. He didn’t even wait that long, just went for it. That means he’s on a time schedule and he needs this.”

“And when he finds out that the other missing part that was supposed to be taken and is being held in Singapore isn’t really there?” Erik just smiled. It was a dangerous one full of violence and teeth.

“By then I’ll hopefully have my information.”

“And if not?”

“I’ll improvise.” Moira laughed.

“I hope your improvising involves less firepower than Charles’ did,” she teased up until she caught sight of his expression and then her jaw dropped. “He learned that from you, didn’t he?” Erik grinned, it still felt bitter on his lips.

“The one and only.” 

“Let’s hope you don’t have to improvise then.”

 

*

 

Erik barely dodged as Charles threw himself at him. He dropped to the floor just as the other body flew above him. Except Charles’ knee caught him in the side and they both collided before rolling uncontrollably—if only the agency could see them, Erik thought as one of his elbows connected with Charles’ jaw. Two of their top operatives rolling about like children. It ended with Erik atop Charles his knees pressed against the plush carpet of their hotel room and Charles’ flushed face tilted back up towards him.

“Want to tell me what that was about?” Erik asked. He felt a little smug. Most time he and Charles ended up on equal footing. A chip connected with his chest as Charles threw it at him.

“You gave me doctored information, you ass!” Charles snarled. Erik arched a brow.

“And you haven’t.” He pointed out. Charles shoved at his chest.

“That’s not the point! You doctored this so much that I looked like an idiot when I presented it! And then I got to hear all about you and how gleaming your report was!”

“Sorry, I must’ve slipped when I did that.”

“Bullshit!” Charles rolled them over so that he was on top and glaring down at Erik like he was about to slit the other man’s throat. Erik dragged a finger along Charles’ cheek. “I am done with this game, Erik! No more hiding!” he declared. There was barely any pause between the time he spoke and when he leaned down and kissed Erik hard. His fingers threaded through Erik’s hair. He didn’t wait for Erik to kiss back, instead sat back up only to stare down at Erik’s perplexed expression. “Are we still going to play _this_ game?” he asked.

Erik reached up and yanked him down. Their lips crashed against one another. It was much like the fight they’d have before; clumsy and vicious as they tugged at each other’s hair. Charles rubbed his thumb against Erik’s jaw before it rested on his chin. Just a brief moment of pressure along his chin was all that was needed for Erik to open his mouth and allow Charles nearly devour him whole.

With one hand he grabbed at Charles’ thigh, pulling at his body up until he had him off balance. Then he turned the tables much like Charles had before. They lost contact as Erik flipped them, but even when he smacked his head against the floor Charles laughed.

“Oh, god, you’re a brute and I love it,” Charles told him. He dragged his fingers along Erik’s neck. His thumb slid along the underside of Erik’s jaw almost in a lazy manner. “The Agency would be quite irate if they ever knew.”

“And?”

“Let’s keep it an open secret.” Erik smiled, a feeling of brief joy filling his chest before he leaned down. His lips up with Charles’ in a slow and languid motion, as if they had all the time in the world, as if the agency was just a figment of their imaginations and there would be nothing more than just the two of them in that moment. Charles arched his hips, the meaning was plain. Erik moved back, yet not before he wrapped his lips around Charles’ bottom lip and pulled gently back, wrenching a soft noise from his partner. Charles let out a tiny huff, “Well, then did you bring anything?”

“Of course. You?”

“Always be prepared, isn’t that our motto?”

“I think that might be the boy scouts.”

“I believe you’re right. We should take it back,” Charles told him.

“Just go in, terrify people until they give us their motto?” Erik asked.

Charles chuckled and pressed his hand against Erik’s cheek, “Well when you put it that way.”

“I like it, when’s the mission?” Erik cut him off. Instead of answer Charles just pulled him down, kissing him until neither of them had any air left. Erik trailed his fingers along Charles’ side, it was a soothing motion.

“After we do this, then we’ll make sure we get all of our merit badges too.”

“I always wanted one of those,” Erik whispered. Charles gave an amused snort. Gently, he pushed at Erik’s chest.

“Shall we continue this on the bed?” Charles asked. Erik moved slowly as he clambered off of Charles. Except he didn’t move towards the bed—instead Erik strode towards his bag and Charles followed suit with his own bag. He had to dig through most of his other supplies to even find the container he had begun to pack for nearly every mission he’d had with Charles. Once he had the items in hand, Erik tossed them to the bed only to find that Charles was still digging through his supplies. A smile came over him as he took the steps to find himself behind Charles; he wrapped one arm around Charles’ waist and then pressed his mouth to his neck.

“Is this the type of action I can expect now that we’re not pretending we want each other?” Charles inquired softly. “Because I could really get used to this.”

“No, this is only the honeymoon phase, it’ll be over in three months,” Erik informed him.

“Pity, guess I’ll have to enjoy it while it lasts,” Charles replied. He turned in Erik’s arms, his fingers pulling at the cloth of his clothing the second he was fully facing Erik, and his mouth set in a bemused smirk. “You have all of your things?”

“Like you said, we always come prepared,” he whispered. Charles pressed his face against Erik’s neck. Feeling the smile against his skin, Erik tightened his grip around Charles. They stood for a few moments just relishing in the newness that accompanied it until Charles pushed him back towards the bed and Erik went without a fight. Charles stripped him slowly of his clothing and seemed to work even slower with his own. The cotton fabric of his shirt hovering above his ribs as he gently pulled at it. Erik leaned forward, pressing his lips against the revealed flesh. He sucked marks onto the paleness before him, marking Charles as his. Sliding his hands up along Charles’ back he pressed the other man closer to him. The sound of fabric hitting the floor registered low on his attention as Charles’ hands threaded through his hair. Erik swiped his tongue along Charles’ nipple, pulling a moan from him.

Charles whispered to nothing, “God, your mouth.” Charles jerked his head back and covered his mouth with his own. It was more reminiscent of the one they had shared previously; rough without much technique but the act of it sent heat down through Erik’s body. His blunt nails dragged against Charles and he was rewarded with another noise dancing from Charles’ lips to his.

He was shoved down once more while Charles moved above him, shucking off his pants and then grabbing at the tiny travel pack of lube Erik had brought with him. There was a grin on Charles’ face as he picked up the condoms; his eyes flickered down to Erik’s erection and the grin widened.

“You’re definitely not just humoring yourself,” he said. Charles’ left hand slid up along Erik’s thigh before he dipped down his mouth mere inches away from his cock, yet no closer. “Oh, I’ll get you in my mouth eventually, but not until tests.” Erik would have snorted, but the fact that Charles was so close yet so far made him only ache for more. Arching his ups upwards, Erik could only curse as Charles moved back with him. “Tsk, patience Erik. I am going to give you a show,” Charles purred. He rose up on his knees, angling his hips so that Erik could look all he wanted, before he moved his hand behind him and began to work himself open.

Erik reached before him and stroked his cock in time with Charles’ hand. The entire thing just made him want to drag Charles down and fuck him relentlessly.  It didn’t help when Charles gave him a slow lazy smile and then dropped his mouth open to moan. He titled his head back, exposing the column of his throat. Erik didn’t resist, he immediately rushed up and pressed his mouth against the skin, biting and marking him more. “Now, now,” Charles told him. Erik laid back, sliding on a condom first and then watched as Charles slowly guided his cock into him. The feeling of the tight heat that was Charles surrounding him dragged a moan from Erik. He reached forward and gripped hard at Charles’ hips.

“Fuck,” he groaned. Charles shifted his hips only slightly, and they both cried out. Charles folded atop him as he let out pants and whimpers.

“God, you’re so big,” Charles praised him. He lifted up on his knees and then sank back down; the movement was slow and it only caused a slow burn. It built at the base of his spine, yet when Charles pulled the orgasm out of him, it felt like more of him had been pulled out. Reaching forward he wrapped his hand around Charles and stroked him until he came all over Erik’s stomach. Charles bit his bottom lip and then smiled lazily. “You look good with me on you,” he whispered. Erik grabbed his jaw, pulling him back down, he said back.

“You look fantastic riding my cock.”

“Maybe later we can just get together and do this?”

“No need for a mission?”

“Nah, I think I want to see you outside of missions too.”

They cleaned themselves off; Erik disposed of the used condom and then settled back in the cleaner bed. The moment Erik was on his back Charles laid down on him, using his chest as some sort of pillow. Erik stroked a hand down along Charles’ back and then gave a playful squeeze of a cheek. Charles just laughed in response.

 

*

 

For the third time, Erik drove to Azazel’s residence. Unlike the second time, the full security measures were taken. He waited outside of the door as the men patted him down only produce the chip with all the information. They put the chip back into his pocket with wide smiles on their faces like they’d been the ones to infiltrate a building and procure the information. Erik just smiled tightly at the both of them up until the point Azazel’s right hand man appeared.

He didn’t speak, and Erik wasn’t sure he could; instead he gave Erik one more once over before he motioned for him to follow. Erik only hesitated a moment before he remembered commentary Shaw had often made about his person. With one short nod, Erik trailed after the silent man, keeping his own silence as well. Janos stopped short of the final door, and Erik was once more subjected to another pat down.

“Just in case your boys at the door aren’t as good as they think?” Erik asked. Janos didn’t reply; Erik was getting the feeling that it was expected with Janos as he just watched the men as they once more searched Erik. The chip was produced once more and looked at all sides before they put it back in his pocket. “Sorry no sleight of hand this time, maybe next time I’ll run off with all the information.”

 

“You’re not as charming as you think,” Azazel spoke up from the back room. There were a couple of nervous twitches that Erik just barely caught as the man waved him in. “I had to have confirmation that you didn’t switch out anything. Your reputation like I have said before is an astounding thing. They make it seem like you are untouchable and unflappable.”

“You seemed to find one of my buttons (no comma necessary!) just fine,” Erik commented. Azazel paused, and he looked at the pocket he surely knew Erik had the chip in.

“To be honest until I heard you were on your way and you’d taken care of my men, I hadn’t known how touchy that button was,” Azazel admitted. “I supposed I should’ve.”

“How did you know about Raven?” Erik asked. The look he got from his question was filled with something Erik couldn’t place. Erik fiddled a little with a small paperweight on Azazel’s desk instead, yet he kept his eyes on the other man.

Azazel’s lips quirked upwards, he moved with hesitancy and pulled the paperweight from Erik’s fingers. “I know a lot of things about you, Erik; you have some talkative old friends.”

“I do now?”

“Oh yes, you’re a hero and a villain to a few people.”

“You’re not exactly narrowing it down of who it is,” Erik replied. Azazel smirked.

“I wasn’t trying to. Now, you came here for a reason and it wasn’t about how I knew about Raven.” He held out his hand, and waited for Erik to move. Pausing only for a moment, he pulled the chip out and placed it his open palm. “Do you know what’s on this?” he asked.

“I am good at what I do.”

“That is not an answer, but I have the feeling it’s the best I will get from you. Janos, put this in and make sure it’s what I want,” Azazel commanded. Janos immediately swiped the chip, the very thing he could’ve taken from Erik before the whole walk down the hall, and inserted it. Erik didn’t get to see the screen, but he already knew what information would be displayed on it, and he also knew that Janos wouldn’t be looking for the other hole. Still, Erik held his breath as he waited for the confirmation. With one nod, Erik could relax his muscles if only slightly.

“Good enough for you?” Erik asked. Azazel went quiet, he moved slowly around his desk before he pulled a slip of paper out from a booklet.

“It seems that way. When you contact this person, you go on their time. You do not pull what you pulled with me,” Azazel warned.

“That’ll work out just fine as long as _they_ don’t try to pull what you did with me,” Erik answered. Azazel snorted.

“If you want to find out who burned you, that’s the best way to find your answers. It was nice doing business with you, Mr. Sullivan.”

“You as well.” On his walk back, Erik opened the paper to reveal one name.

 _Emma Frost_. 


	9. You Didn't Have to Cut Me Off

There is a number beneath the name. It was a Miami number, which meant that Emma Frost was not too far of a drive away, but as he looked down at the parchment, Erik only felt irritation at the whole thing. One more hoop to jump through, one more trick to preform while all eyes were on him. He dialed the number quickly fingers flying along the keypad on his phone. It only rang a couple of moments before a male voice picked up stating that Ms. Frost was out at the moment and if he could take a message. Erik made a mental note to look up exactly who Ms. Frost was and what she had to do with Azazel if she could afford a secretary. The other thing that pinged in Erik mind was the fact that Azazel hadn’t given him a personal line that would give him direct access to Frost. Either she had no idea what was coming or Azazel didn’t have the same amount of sway as his _helper_ had inferred that he had.

Swallowing any anger and disappointment he felt, Erik stated that he needed to schedule a meeting with Emma Frost and for her to return the call as soon as possible. The man took down his information and promised to have Ms. Frost contact him as soon as possible. He left the name Erik Sullivan and then hung up. Settling himself behind the wheel of his car, Erik took a number of soothing breaths before he turned the key and drove off back towards his home. As he navigated through the city, his mind danced around the subject of Raven and her inquiries as well as his promise to tell her everything. He couldn’t very well do exactly that, there were tidbits of information that Raven had no need of knowing about her supposedly pacifist brother. There were other things that he wanted to keep to his chest as well. As he pulled up to his building, Erik noted that Shaw was once more waiting for him outside. The fact that the man was somehow following his directives made Erik rather pleased in an odd way. He tapped a finger along the steering wheel before he managed to force himself to get out of his vehicle. Shaw just smiled at him.

“How was the show?” he asked.

“Fine.”

“They buy what you were selling?” Erik just glared at Shaw. “What, you’re my son, and while not by blood, I still taught you how to screw people over all while they thank you so much for your service.” Erik worked his jaw. The muscle ticked in time almost like a clock.

“I spent more years doing exactly what I was told than working freelance,” Erik reminded him. Shaw hummed and gave one nod of his head. 

“Yet, I bet you still managed to screw someone over in the process. Maybe not your boss, but someone didn’t get their happy ending,” Shaw said with a leer. The entire comment just made Erik want to punch his foster father in the nose, and he would’ve done it except his phone chose that moment to ring.  He held up one finger to Shaw and pulled his phone from his pocket. The number was from Emma Frost’s office, or whatever number it had been Azazel gave him. Taking a few steps away from Shaw, Erik pressed the phone to his ear.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Mr. Sullivan?” a woman purred; he assumed it to be Frost. “I heard you might be calling me soon, but our mutual friend didn’t say how soon. Unfortunately, I misjudged your timeframe and was out with another _client_.”

“As interesting as I find your life, Ms. Frost, I would like to know what it is you want me to do for you,” Erik replied. He could hear Shaw behind him snorting.

“They told me you were no nonsense. Well then Mr. Sullivan, I want you to meet me at my yacht. I’ll send you the details later.”

“And that’s when I’ll get my information?”

“Of course. I do things on my own time, and I expect you to follow my lead. Or is our mutual friend correct in saying that you have a little bit of trouble with authority?”

“The only problem I have with authority is when they overstep their bounds and try to force my hand. Other than that I work just fine,” Erik told her. In response he heard the laugh—a bright amused one he would’ve assumed of high society, yet Frost was someone who dealt with men like Azazel.

“Oh, I think I’ll like you. Wait for my message; I’ll let you know when I have free time Mr. Sullivan.”

“Looks like I’ll be waiting.”

“You will be.” Erik pressed the end button to his call and then smirked down at his phone screen. The fact that they were still playing games with him merely meant that they still had no idea what he’d done. The actions of both Azazel and Emma weren’t those of people who wanted revenge instead they were ones of people who still thought they were in control. Erik gave a bitter laugh.

“I know that laugh,” Shaw commented. So had Charles.

“I am sure you do,” Erik replied. He turned back around fully to face Shaw. “Go home, Shaw. I don’t need your expertise no matter how much you believe I do. I have this all handled.”

“Do you know who keeps sending you messages?” Shaw asked instead. He completely ignored Erik’s words and instead stepped forward.

“No, but neither do you, and if you were going to find out you would’ve already.” Erik held up a hand before Shaw opened his mouth once more. “You also would’ve been hanging the prospect of you knowing above my head.”

“You’re in over your head, boy. You’ll need all the reinforcements you can get.” 

“If I decide you’re one of the ones I’ll rely on, I’ll let you know.” Shaw shook his head.

“This is my last offer of help, Erik,” he warned.

“I’ll take a rain check then.” Erik glared as Shaw, his entire body felt tense and like he’d been wound too tight. “Go home, go back to whatever your life is, and if I need you, I’ll contact you, but don’t hold your breath.”

“I’ll do that, for you, but I expect an invitation to Thanksgiving.” Erik arched a brow; he didn’t even really celebrate any holidays. He used to celebrate most of the Jewish holidays, but he’d fallen out of practice over the years of his job.

“Deal,” he agreed. Shaw eyed him for a few moments before a wide smile came across his face. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Erik’s shoulder. The very action made Erik want to deck the man in the face, but he needed his body in top working condition.

“It’s times like these that I am reminded of how glad I am that I raised you.” he said almost wistfully.

“I wouldn’t call what you did raising me,” Erik said as he picked the hand off of his shoulder like it was a piece of trash. Shaw tsked his tongue.

“Just remember who made you into the spy you are today, Erik,” Shaw reminded him. “And I’ll be waiting for your call.”

“Don’t hold your breath, or do, maybe then the world will be rid of you,” Erik replied. He put on his most pleasantly forced smile he could manage and Shaw just laughed. Before Erik could act, Shaw reached forward and patted his cheek before stepping back to return to his car. Keeping a trained on him, Erik felt like he wasn’t going to breathe until the taillights of Shaw’s car had disappeared around some corner. The puff of air the escaped his lips was one of relief, until he jogged up the stairs and found Raven waiting for him, her arms folded under her chest. Except she wasn’t quite alone in his home, Sean was sprawled out on his couch and Alex was in his kitchen seemingly banging pots together to appear as if he was cleaning.

“Is everyone here?” Erik asked. He arched his brow and looked over the trio, only to spot Hank crouched over a laptop. Four then.

“Moira isn’t,” Raven told him. Erik looked over the living room and sure enough the only person near his age was missing.

“Decide to have a party?” he inquired.

“No, they want to help you with whatever you’re doing. What are you doing, _Erik_?” Raven took a few steps forward, the look in her eyes said she was waiting for him to tell her everything. Erik adverted his gaze; one thing he wasn’t going to do was spill his guts in front of not only Alex but two people he didn’t trust completely.

“Alex, take Sean and Hank shopping for gear, and make sure they only get the necessary things. If they want something extra they have to pay for it,” he commanded. Alex rushed out of the kitchen only to stare at him curiously for a few moments before he saluted him sarcastically.

“Sir, yes, sir. Come on boys, our overlord needs to have a chat with his keeper,” Alex called out to the other two. As he walked by, Erik grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him back to face him.

“We’re going to have our own talk when you get back,” Erik hissed. Alex’s smile was as cold as he could possibly make it, and Erik was rather unimpressed. “I’ve been more afraid of garden snakes, Summers.”  He let go of the shirt, and motioned for Alex to leave. The blonde just snorted before he stormed out, Sean and Hank at his heels.

“Are you going to tell me anything now?” Raven demanded. She strode forward the moment the door slammed shut and pushed against his chest. “Or are we still going to pretend you’re too busy for it?”

“Raven, would you, please just,” he motioned towards the couch, “just sit.” She glared at him, and they might not have been blood siblings but both of the Xaviers shared the same venomous glare. Despite the look, however, Raven still followed his directions. She flopped down on his couch. Erik kept his mouth sealed shut up until he sat on the opposite end of the furniture and just looked at her. He only had a split second to decide what he was going to share and what he wasn’t. What he could give up to Raven and what he wanted to still keep to his chest.

“How did you and Charles really meet?” she dived into the questions.

“We were assigned to be partners,” he answered.

“What for?”

“A mission.”

“What did the mission entail?”

“I won’t divulge that. Ask me something else.” Raven glowered at him.

“Fine, was that normal?”

“No.”

“Okay, did you love him?” Erik swallowed hard.

“The fact that he’s gone still leaves me hollow,” he admitted quietly. The words had stumbled from his lips, and pulled at his chest. His entire throat felt as if someone had dragged sandpaper along his throat.

“What happened to him?” she asked.

“I don’t honestly know. He was away on a solo mission, they cut him off and then he was gone.”

“Do, do you think that maybe he could still be alive? That he’s just waiting in the wings? Maybe he’s like you and just laying low!” The more she spoke the more frantic she began to sound. Raven rose on her knees and her eyes became desperate.

“Raven, do you honestly think that’s true?” he asked quietly.

“How can you write him off? Why did you give up on him?” she demanded. Erik pushed away from the couch to only stalk around the room. Energy was coursing through his veins at the accusation, like he had just written Charles off, like he hadn’t spent years hoping that the man would appear at his door and admit to being okay.

“After five years, it was the only thing I could do,” he admitted. “I am not going to live with a ghost dogging my steps until I die.” Raven fell quiet, leaving him with his thoughts. Charles’ smile, his glower, the way he laughed all danced around Erik’s mind as if to prove that he was a liar. Except his face had started to blur, his eyes weren’t the right blue, but Erik couldn’t remember what the right color of blue was.

“Can I help?” Raven asked quietly. Erik paused.

“He wouldn’t want me to get you involved in this.”

“He’s not here to tell you no and you’re all I have left Erik. I’ve told you that before,” Raven pointed out. “And just think of it this way, either you can agree or I will shove my way into it.” Erik titled his head down, the thoughts moved through his mind.

“Fine, but you do what I give you and you don’t complain,” he told her.

“Fine, but you better not just give me busy work to make me feel like I’m doing something,” Raven warned. Erik opened his mouth ready to appease her when his phone chirped at him. For once he had turned the sound back on. Glancing down at the phone, he felt as if everything stopped.

**_Can we meet?_ **

He stared at his screen, ignoring Raven for those precious few moments before he typed back.

**_When and where?_ **

“Erik?” Raven asked. He looked up from his phone. “What’s wrong?” His phone chirped once more. It was a train station; one that he knew well enough, yet it hadn’t rang any bells as to why his helper would write that place.

 ** _I’ll see you then_** , Erik replied with. “It’s nothing all that important, my informant only wishes to meet with me.” Raven must have gotten up from the couch because the next thing Erik saw was her hand wrapping around his wrist and then she practically launched herself at him wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Erik please,” she whispered, “tell me the truth.”

“I am. I am going to meet an informant later this week, don’t worry.” He stroked her hair as she tipped her face up to him. Her grip around him tightened for a few heartbeats and they stood there just watching each other before Raven loosened her grip and then pressed her face against his chest.

“Okay fine. You’re meeting someone, but everyone that was here, what are they doing? What are you doing?” Erik continued his stroking of Raven’s hair as he contemplated exactly what he was going to tell her. He couldn’t give her every detail, but leaving out important parts would only return to bite him in the ass.

“I am looking for answers, and the people I’ve been dealing with have them.”

“Even what you had going on with Angel?” Raven asked.

“No, Angel, she was just a case.” He expected Raven to ask about the case for her to demand to know everything; instead she kept silent and continued to cling to him.  “Raven,” he said softly, “I need to prepare.” She mumbled something against his shirt, but she slowly detangled herself from him.

“Do you need any help?” she asked. Erik shook his head. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. In her eyes, he could see the tears as they started to well.

“I need to do this, just make sure the boys don’t trash my place when they get back.” Just as Raven opened her mouth to probably demand that that was exactly what she had meant by busy work, Erik just covered her mouth with his palm. “I need you to keep them out of my hair and right now since Moira isn’t here that leaves you to do it.” He took his hand away from her mouth. Raven looked at him skeptically.

“You would make Moira do this?”

“Absolutely.” No, he wouldn’t because he’d need Moira in the room with him to do cross referencing while he researched away or he would do the cross referencing whilst making his plans. Raven had no training, and she had definitely never needed the skills that Alex had gained through his life style. He was under the impression that Sean had gathered those skills as well. Then there was Hank, who Erik just mentally filed under special case and left it at that.

“How do I know you’re not lying to me?” she demanded. Erik sighed.

“Raven,” he paused, “just please do this. Make sure when they get back that Hank goes back to his laptop and researches more, that Alex and Sean don’t destroy anything in their boredom before I can give orders.”

“Does this mean I am like your second in command?” Her brows furrowed downwards and Erik just let his eyes close for a few moments before he just allowed a puff of air to escape him.

“In a sense, yes.” Erik stepped back away from her, when she didn’t reach for him again he walked back towards his bedroom. Once he was safe within his room Erik fell back onto the bed, his mind a mess of thoughts. The more his mind trailed over his dealing with Azazel and his introduction to Emma Frost the more he wanted to just forget the whole thing. Except he couldn’t very well do it, he’d already made a big show of going on with the plan. He’d sent Shaw away and inducted Raven into his group.

Yet, if Azazel was the type of person who would try to force his hand, then Emma Frost would be worse. Erik could feel it. Maybe he would just blow off Frost and go meet his stalker, except that would get him nowhere unless his stalker would extend their knowledge even further. If he cut himself off right then he could end up forever stranded in Miami with no clue as to whether or not he would ever have his answers or his freedom. Erik rolled to his side and for a moment he allowed himself to lie.

He imagined Charles propping himself up on his elbows, a coy smile on his lips as he asked what was on his mind. The look would change in his eyes from teasing to somber as he listened, those eyes that Erik could no longer remember as vividly; he’d run his fingers through Erik’s hair and then he’d tell him to go through with it. The both of them. Cover all the bases.

Erik dragged a hand down his face and dispelled the ghost from his memories. His chest ached even as he rolled back onto his back. If there was one thing he could take from his self-induced torture it was that he already had his answer.

Pushing up from his bed, Erik pulled his computer out from its case. It wasn’t hard to gather initial information about Emma Frost, she hadn’t hidden herself, but then again in a sense she had. Her connections with anything less than pleasant was dashed away behind the belief that she was nothing more than a wealthy business woman who had an affinity for wearing white.

Erik spent an hour and a half researching Emma Frost and any connection he could find between her and any of Azazel’s actions. Most of the information gave him absolutely nothing, but there were a few threads that linked the two together. He was so enthralled with finding one piece of information that he nearly missed when Moira came into his room, her own laptop bag slung over her shoulder.

“Raven has everything under control, she wanted me to tell you that.  Also, she was pretty sure you were upset,” Moira told him.

“I don’t get upset,” Erik grumbled.

“If I didn’t know you any better after working with you, I’d say yes. Except there is this tiny fact that I’ve not only witnessed you shut down, but you attacked Shaw for just mentioning him and Raven. So, who are we going to play hardball with this time?” Erik looked up.

“You sound far too excited for this.”

“Erik, I am going to level with you for just a moment, but before you came around I was really bored. And then I thought, oh here’s the jackass Charles was in love with, might as well help him out. Now I’m invested. So, who are we playing hardball with?”

“Emma Frost.”

“I have never heard of her.”

“Well then, the plot thickens,” Erik replied. He smirked up at Moira.

“Yes, it does.”

 

 

*

 

Alex was by the Avenger smoking, Erik folded the written note he had left for him back into his pocket. When he had walked out of his bedroom after a two hour brainstorming session with Moira, the day before the mission—why had they left it so late, he would blame it on settling Raven into her role. He stepped closer to Alex only to be offered a cigarette. He took it willingly as well as the light. Erik leaned back and he could remember the first time he had smoked with Alex. He’d told the boy that it would end up in his death and that he was too damn young to start such a shitty habit. Alex had shot back with how much of a great mentor he was then.

It had only been four months after Charles’s disappearance and he had been a barely held together mess, when he’d gotten the case with Alex. Still, the juxtaposition between the two left a tight feeling to his skin. Erik rubbed a hand along his jaw and waited. The silence stretched on up until Alex stomped out his dying smoke and looked at him.

“I am actually fucking sorry, I didn’t mean to, she just. Shit, you know I fucking hated you after that whole shit you pulled for your whatever,” Alex started to ramble. Erik just titled his head up to the sky and let the smoke pour out of his mouth like a dragon.

“My mission?”

“Yeah, your fucking wackjob mission. Was I just some by-product of you having to get into the crew?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, I was just trying to get in with the boss and you—well you took to me like you were searching for someone to watch. I at least got you out of that alive.” Erik pointed that out. It was one of the few good things he’d done with that assignment. Playing as some drifter who was angry at the world, it wasn’t too hard when he actually was angry at the world and felt like he was drifting.

“Yeah, I guess I can thank you for that, but that’s also why I am so fucking sorry. Shit man, I lost Scott and then you come along and I just, I wanted someone to be my brother without being him.” Erik said nothing; he just wrapped an arm around Alex and pulled him close. It was an awkward hug, but one that Alex didn’t complain about. He just wrapped an arm around Erik in response. They stood in the dying light not saying anything.

Alex was the first to move as he shuffled to get another cigarette. He gently shoved away from Erik and turned his back to him. Though his hand suspiciously strayed to his face, Erik made no remark on the action.

“Tomorrow I’m going to see what Frost wants,” Erik said, “after that I’ll need you on your toes if I get any more information.”

“Got it,” Alex replied. “And Erik?”

“Hmmmm?”

“You’re a fucking asshole, but you know you’re at least kind of all right.”

“Thank you Alex, that means _so_ much.”

“Fuck you, asshole.” Erik just smirked.

“Well you’re back to your old self. That’s good to know.” He smacked Alex on the back twice and then strolled back up to his loft where the rest of his so-called team waited.

 

*

 

The address Frost had sent him was for a yacht. Erik slid his sunglasses down his nose and stared up at the white ship. It was impressive, he had to admit that. However, it didn’t seem like the best play to hold secret meetings. The whole thing left a taste of a bad Bond villain in his mouth.

“Are you going to stand there for a while longer, or are you going to get this over with?” Moira asked from his ear piece. He reached up pretending to scratch his whilst tapping out a message that said he was going. When he was only halfway up the incline Emma Frost appeared before him in a white bikini and a calculating smile. She was the type of woman who’d even give Shaw a run for his money, Erik mused pointblank.

“Mr. Sullivan,” she greeted.

“Ms. Frost.” He nodded. She stepped backwards and as she did the sunlight caught against the glinting jewelry she wore around her neck. From the distance he could only guess they were diamonds. Part of him wondered if Emma was putting on a specific show for him, one that set her up as less intelligent than he assumed she had to be.

“Would you like a drink?” she asked.

“No, but thank you,” he replied. Frost motioned for him to follow after her; the look on her face was still one of someone who held all the cards—Erik followed. From what little he could read, Erik knew she was comfortable on the yacht, which meant that there was more than could be discerned from a brief glance. Frost led him into a room with one large table surrounded all by chairs. The decorations were minimalistic, yet still very high class. It all oozed wealth, but not to the point that it was gaudy.

“Like what you see?” Frost asked. Erik looked up at her; from the way she stood he was no longer sure if she had meant the room or herself. She waved her hand through the air as if that would dissipate the tension. “I want to see how well you work, Mr. Sullivan.”

“Wasn’t that what Azazel was for?” he inquired. Frost chuckled.

“It would’ve been if we hadn’t had that tiny _hiccup_.”

“I believe that was more of a hiccup on your end of things.” He watched as she threaded her fingers before her and just watched him. Frost titled her head to the side, her blond hair falling in waves over her shoulders. What she looked like was perfect picture of a trophy wife.

“That may be, but I can’t judge your merits from what you did from Azazel. I need you to give me a plan of attack on a building,” she explained. Frost turned around and tugged a drawer open. Slowly she eased what looked like blueprints. Erik appreciated the old school method of doing things.

“Just a quick run through of how I would infiltrate a building?”

“By yourself.” Frost laid the blueprints out on the table. The entire thing didn’t look too difficult, but that all depended on where Frost wanted him to go. There were a few areas he knew he would rather stay away from. “I need you to go here.” The central hub, where most companies would keep their security information and sometimes other things. “The code to even get in that room is here though.” Erik slid his eyes along where she pointed. That was where the difficulty would start. He smiled.

“That all?” he asked. He saw the gun before she lifted it in his direction, but the action sent more of a cool rage through his body than actual worry. Erik’s smile widened into something more vicious. “Time restraints?”

“Under an hour, I need you to do this.” Erik looked down at the diagram before him. After he was done, he knew exactly what he was going to do. He stepped forward and pressed his finger to the paper.

“I would enter here. Depending on the time of day is whether or not I’d be wearing something for stealth initially or not. Let’s pretend this is a night infiltration, then I don’t have to switch out clothing. I would move through here, the security is light around this area,” he paused and locked gazes with Frost. “I would use this door; I am assuming I would have the best tools in my possession?” 

“That money can buy, Sullivan.” He moved his finger through the room before he exited through the hall, narrating it the entire way. Frost kept her eyes on him as well as her gun. There was part of Erik that wanted to grab that weapon and then show her who exactly was in control off the situation. However, he was out of his comfort zone and Frost had most of the power on the yacht, so he kept on his plans with how to get through the building to the point where he had _retrieved_ the information already.

“That’s fantastic really,” Frost told him, “but what if there are a couple of new additions?”

“Where?” he asked. She took one hand away from the gun, she pointed out the two areas. They put tiny kinks in his initial walkthrough, but they weren’t something he’d worry too much about. Recalibrating his exit and entry points Erik shifted his plans, and once he did Frost gave another cold smile before she added another obstacle. Erik looked up from the blue prints. The anger that had been burning through him raised closer to the surface. He wanted to snarl and snap, but instead he issued her a smile. The one Charles had hated.

He didn’t complain though, instead Erik readied himself and jumped through her hoops. With everything she threw at him he switched his plan up until it no longer looked like he originally planned except for his initial entry point. Looking up from the blue print right into the barrel Erik raised his brows upwards. Frost relaxed her grip on her gun.

“Congratulations you actually live up to the talk,” she said. The second she started to tilt the gun down to the ground, Erik reached for it, he stripped the gun quickly and tossed the pieces around the room.

“I am so glad I’ve gotten your approval,” Erik purred. He dropped the last piece to the ground and took a step back. Frost’s face wasn’t murderous, but he hadn’t expected much of a reaction from him. Instead she seemed a little surprised and more than amused.

“You don’t want the rest of your information?” she asked. “To go on your question to find the persons who burned you?” She sounded more as if she were taunting him, as if she held all the cards and was just cherry picking the ones she’d give him. For a moment all that he processed was his blood pounding in his ears. He wanted to turn back around and wrap his hands around Frost’s neck, he wanted to pull out ever secret she held just the way that would make Sebastian so very proud. Violence hummed along his skin like a sweet serenade pulling him further into his anger.

If he were younger he’d fall into the sweet song and move with it until it stopped. He was no longer wet behind the ears; a loose cannon. Instead he straightened his back and started to walk away. Once he crossed the threshold there was a buzzing in his ear, telling him comlink was back, except he hadn’t even really noticed that Moira was gone at all.

“Erik? Are you okay?” she asked almost immediately.

“Fine,” he replied. If Moira was shocked he was speaking out loud to her, she didn’t make a sound.

“Good, I was half tempted to go in there guns blazing if you didn’t come out in ten minutes,” she admitted.

“You have that much faith in me?”

“What can I say Lehnsherr, you’ve restored some of it by just proving you haven’t lost anything. I really would like to know their reasoning for firing you,” she replied.

“You and me both,” he agreed.

“On that note, did you get anything?” Moira asked.

“No, I just walked. Frost pulled a gun on me, people like that only get so much cooperation from me,” Erik replied.

“Is she dead?”

“Very much alive.”

“I am proud of you then, because I would’ve killed her.”

“It was very tempting.”

“I don’t doubt it, what next then. We’re sort of in limbo,” she reminded him.

“I know that, but I have a plan B, and I hope it’ll yield more of a decent working relationship,” Erik replied.

“Are you going to tell me about this Plan B?” He got into his vehicle, and titled his head to the side; it was the now or never time—where he could either give Moira the run down or go off the grid of a few moments until he was sure there would be some yielding of information. “Erik?”

“Sorry, but I think I am going to have to let you go for the moment,” he told her. Moira was cursing at him as he pulled the transmitter from his ear and tossed it in his backseat. If she really didn’t trust him she could always trace his piece and then he’d have the cavalry at least close by. Erik peeled out away from the docks and headed for the train station that the text had directed him to. Traffic was a little heavy and it allowed him to time to think on his decision on what Moira had said. Why had he been burned?

He’d always assumed it had been because of him starting to spiral down—he had to have been spiraling. Except what Moira had said made him wonder if that was the truth. She wasn’t out of the loop enough not to know what a quality spy was. Erik tightened his grip on the wheel as he mind danced around the information. Thinking back on Emma, he hoped it wouldn’t end up being a move that cost him too much.

By the time he reached the train station his was deep in his head and he nearly didn’t realize he had arrived. Erik turned off the engine and took a deep breath as he tried to collect himself. His hands were steady as he reached for the door and stepped out. The place wouldn’t be as busy as an airport—something he was glad for—but his helper could be anyone. Any gender or any race, but there was one thing he knew they had and that was connections as well as skills. There was likelihood he wouldn’t even know the person until he was on top of them.

 ** _I see you_** , his newest text message said. Erik looked around despite knowing that it would be useless; he didn’t know what features to look for. The groups of people getting off and on the trains were an obstacle that started to feel like parts of a test. Erik clenched his teeth until he heard the sound, one loud whistle cracked through the noises of voices.

He stilled and then it came again arcing over the low speaking voices of people reuniting with family or speaking on their phones. It had also come from his right. Erik turned his head, his eyes searched over the entire crowd—then he hit them. Blue eyes.

Blue eyes that were just right in every way. They were just blue enough, nothing wrong with them. Erik pulled himself back, if only to make sure the rest of the face wasn’t just as fitting. But it was—it was the face that he had begun to lose. It was the very one that still haunted his memories even though he’d told Raven he couldn’t live with a ghost anymore. It was the face that he had waited five years to see.

He turned his body fully to face the other man, the air in his lungs burning like he had been underwater. Erik realized he hadn’t been breathing. Gasping in a breath he barely managed to utter out, “Charles,” before he saw _his_ face curl into a tentative smile, as if he had known he had said the name. Regaining his breath, Erik said it again. “Charles.” 


	10. Damn Your Eyes

His body moved before his mind was even ready to completely process what was happening. It was like five years had shattered—for a moment he was back in the days right after they had informed him that Charles was dead. Yet, with every footstep the years tacked back on. Anger filled him like a tidal wave as he moved faster through the crowds, and his head felt like it was throbbing. He stopped right in front of Charles—his eyes roamed over the other’s body as if he were still trying to wrap his head around the fact that yes, Charles was alive. Charles with his bright blue eyes and his perfect face, it was almost as if he had stepped out of one of Erik’s living memories. He only floundered for a few moments unsure of what to do, if he was actually losing it or if the years had all been some sort of lie.

“Hello, Erik,” Charles greeted. Just like the rage snapped back in full force. He cocked an arm back and as his fist slammed against Charles’ face all he could feel was the righteous anger at all the lies and secrets. Charles stumbled back from the force; his hand immediately went up to his cheek cupping the abused area, while his eyes went wide in shock. Erik watched through a haze of anger as Charles pressed his fingertips against the blooming red area all whilst working his jaw. “That wasn’t high up on my list of things that could happen, but I thought there could be a chance for this,” Charles admitted. Erik sneered.

“You thought there was a _chance_ for this? What did you expect from me a hug and a kiss, while I’m crying because that man I loved has, surprise, not been dead for five years? He’s just been off doing something else?” Erik stormed off, he pushed through most of the crowd, trying to get away, to do anything that no longer had him having to face Charles. He felt like someone had eviscerated him and then poured salt into the empty cavity. It had started to hurt to even breathe as he stumbled past a couple with a small child.

 

 

*

 

The door opened and he had an armful of Charles almost immediately. A kiss was pressed against his neck before Charles let out a deep warm chuckle. He pulled back, a bright smile curling at the edges of his lips. Yet, as Erik got a closer look at dark circle around Charles’ eyes, his messy hair, and the fact that he was wearing on of Erik’s sweaters, there was a warmth as well as a worry that fill his chest. Reaching up he cupped along Charles’ cheek.

“Busy work while I was gone?” he asked. Charles pulled away slowly, his fingers dragged along Erik’s front as he did.

“Just running assessments over a few things while you were away,” Charles replied. “What about you, 007? How did the mission go?”

“No casualties, and yes I did foil the big bad’s plot,” Erik answered.

“I hope there were no Bond girls that took up your attention,” Charles teased.

“If there were they would be sorely mistaken, you see, I only like Professors.” Erik stepped forward; he pressed his face against the warm brown strands of Charles’ hair. He felt the shorter man turned in his arms and pressed another kiss to his bare skin.

“That so? Well, I can’t blame you, Professors are pretty sexy, but I must say I do have a thing for dangerously suave men,” Charles admitted. Erik pulled back; he arched a brow a little.

“Should I be worried about that?” he asked. Charles played with a button on his shirt.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” he purred. He paused for a moment, an expression of being deep within thought crossed over his features. Erik knew that expression well—it was one he always wanted to kiss off of Charles’ face. “I missed you while you were gone; do you know why they’ve been separating us more?” Erik shrugged, he’d noticed that they’d been sending him off more often than not without Charles as his company, but they had never reassigned him anyone.

“They haven’t been putting you to work while I’m gone?” he asked. Charles shook his head. He furrowed his brows.

“It’s usually either with you or not at all,” Charles answered softly. The reveal struck a chord with Erik; it was almost as if their superiors were having him babysit Charles. Except the whole idea was preposterous because Charles was one of the most trustworthy people he’d ever met or worked with. Out of the two of them he would’ve expected them to watch him. “But, I guess that’s going to be no longer relevant. In three weeks they’re shipping me off to my very own mission.”

“It’ll be like you’ve graduated to big boy pants,” Erik commented. Charles laughed.

“Again.” Erik pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Until then, let’s just enjoy our impromptu vacation.” Charles laughed again; it had started to sound bitter and just a little coarse. Erik paused; he rubbed his thumb along Charles’ cheek and furrowed his brows in question once more. What he wanted to do was ask Charles what the problem was, yet he didn’t say a thing instead he pulled Charles close and kissed him gently. He wanted to cherish him for just one moment. Pulling back, he stared into Charles’ blue eyes, he could see the secrets in the depths, but secrets were their life. He held things back from Charles—usually if he was on ~~a~~ solo missions—and Charles did the same. The smile wasn’t all the way there when Charles finally released it, but Erik just assumed it was worry from why the agency was treating him with kid gloves.

“Yes, let’s enjoy it,” he agreed. 

 

*

 

“Erik! That’s, I had my reasons,” Charles told him. He stepped forward; placing a tentative hand on Erik’s tightly held shoulders, Charles spoke once more, “and in my humble opinion if I went to see you it would only cause more problems.” Erik wanted to kiss him, he wanted to drag him close to him and press his mouth against Charles’ to suck in his essence, yet in the same moment he wanted to do that, he also wanted to toss Charles off of some high building.

“Save your excuses Xavier, I hope playing games with me was fun while it lasted,” Erik snapped bitterly. He stepped back; he needed to get away from Charles away from everything the man made him feel. His entire body shook, but Charles wasn’t going to let him go that easily. Erik would’ve laughed, except he couldn’t even work that up. Instead he kept still and clenched his eyes shut. One thing he’d never expected was that Charles’ reappearance would hurt as much as his disappearance.

“Please, please don’t do this,” Charles whispered. He tugged at Erik’s sleeve. His body pressed close to Erik’s and it was like he got a breath of heaven if only to feel the burn of hell at his back. His arms nearly curled around Charles’ body to pull him even closer to try and see if his memory of what it felt like to hold the man was true. “I am so sorry I had to do that, that I had to leave in that way,” Charles told him. Erik took a few steps back; he nearly collided with another person before he stopped his body motion. The more the words tumbled from Charles’ lips the more he wanted to punch the man again, except he couldn’t because he catches sight of those blue eyes, and he can’t follow through not with those eyes on him. He didn’t deflate, but it was almost a near thing, instead he just looked at Charles, the past smashed into the present. His mind all the while tried to link the two men together. The one he had known, the one he had loved, and the Charles that stood before him right then, that called upon every bit of anger that Erik held within.

A few people look at them, cursory glances, but those would become more if he attacked Charles or even screamed at him. Except Erik didn’t know if that was what he wanted or if he was just going to emulate what normal people did. Charles had left him under the guise of death. The thought prickled and itched along his skin. He couldn’t look at Charles, not right then, but he did motion for them to sit down somewhere, where they wouldn’t pull at others’ attentions.

Charles sat opposite from him and fidgeted, they were all motions he knew well. Everything he did, it was no time had passed between them, yet the feeling like he couldn’t breathe told him that it definitely had. Erik swallowed hard.

“This is your opening,” he waved his hand between them. Charles stared at him; his face was too open for a few moments before he shut himself away. Erik felt like he was ripped raw, but he also wanted to rip Charles to shreds. In that way, he assumed he was like some sort of animal. Wounded and ready to attack anything that came upon his sights, especially if they were the ones that had wounded him.

“You want to know why I left, and why I didn’t tell you I was alive, right?” Charles seemed to need to clarify it all. Erik just felt the burn beneath his skin at the stalling.

“Yes, Charles, I would like it if you would clarify what the hell was going through your mind!” he snapped. Charles didn’t back down, but that wasn’t something that Charles did. He usually took the brunt of Erik’s anger, got right back in his face, or deflected it all. When his expression hardened, Erik almost thought they would have a screaming match. What a perfect way to meet Charles again, to end up screaming at him like some sort of brokenhearted _civilian_. Instead Charles seemed to swallow hard and nod his head.

“Of course you would want to know that, you’re a smart man.” Charles rubbed his hands together, another nervous twitch that Erik knew so well, but hadn’t seen in so long. “They wanted me dead, and so I let them kill me. At least then they’d get off my back, they’d stop watching my every move if they thought I was no longer a threat.”

“Were you?” Erik demanded. Charles stared at him; his hand slowly reached out and dragged against the pads of his fingers. Erik didn’t stop him, nor was he going to pay attention to the fact that he basically coaxed Charles into threading fingers with his.

“I could’ve been, though if they hadn’t tipped me off, I wouldn’t have known for sure,” Charles admitted. “Erik, I almost immediately went back to you the second I got back. That was all I thought, but then I remember that they probably knew about us. It would be expected.”

“So, you just let me think you were dead?” Erik demanded. He wasn’t sure who was holding on to whose hands tighter, himself or Charles, but whoever it was they were making it painful.

“What else could I do? They had their claws in you, so I dropped back. I tried to make it worth it, I kept tabs on you,” Charles answered. Erik was pretty sure that Charles wanted that to come off differently—of him being caring, instead it made Erik want to throw something. Charles had watched him as he tried to piece himself back together, as he slowly tried to let go of Charles only to fall back into his memories like a man with his addiction. He had seen it all, but what stung to Erik the most was that Charles had put his self-assigned mission above him.

“And what was it?” At Charles’ blank look, Erik explained, “That made it worth it?” Charles gaped at him for a few moments.

“Erik, nothing made it worth it, not yet at least. I kept hoping that I could find a way to get, to just slip in and out, but,” Charles let out a sigh and shook his head. “In the end I couldn’t do it alone, but you were still working for them. Plus, if you defected out of nowhere they would know it was me, that I was still around. ~~and~~  So I gathered my team. You actually met one of them.”

“Lucky me,” Erik growled.

“Please,” Charles begged. He didn’t want to give him any more time, allow him to feel what it was like to be left alone, to be abandoned. His skin was too tight, he wanted to break away and he tugged his hand away, but Charles just kept his grip tight. It was then that Erik reconciled that Charles was still very much at the same level of capabilities he had been before he played possum. “I want you to join me, I need someone like you. Someone with your skills.”

“Yours aren’t enough?” Parts of him felt like he was a caged animal, like his only way out was to rip through Charles into freedom and as much as he wanted freedom those damn eyes stopped him in his tracks.

“We were always better together. I have my skills and you have yours. They were actually onto something when they put us together,” Charles said softly.

“I don’t know, I’ve been on my own so long I don’t think I really need a partner,” Erik sneered. Charles finally glared at him, jaw tensing and body coiling tight.

“For God’s sake, Erik! Stop thinking with your pride for a second!” It was that demanding tone; it’s the entire arrogance that Charles spoke to him with that made him do it. He pushed up from the table, nearly knocking it to the floor, and moved his body towards Charles. The rage was like a fire in his skin, and all he wanted was for Charles to feel everything he felt to know it wasn’t his pride that was wounded—though that hurt too—but it was everything else. It was the fact that Charles had at one point been such a huge part in his life that he had still thought about the other man so often it had been like he was living with a ghost. It was that Charles had left Raven with the thought that she had no one and no way to get a hold of the money of the Xavier fortune, and it was also that Charles had watched him as he fell apart and had only been tempted in the beginning to get in contact.

Erik stopped himself before he hit Charles. He stared down, their gazes locked two men who were weapons knowing that they could very well damage each other. Charles cleared his throat. “Please, could you sit back down? I understand that was something I shouldn’t have accused you of,” Charles said softly. It took him a few moments but eventually Erik settled down in his chair, but he pushed it far away from the table as he could without being too far away and folded his arms. He motions for Charles to continue, for the damned story to be told.

“I can’t tell you much more, you understand, I’m risking so much just talking to you now,” Charles explained. Erik mockingly cooed. The look he got back was almost as irritated as the noise he had made. Charles clenched his jaw, his hands settled on the table top for a brief few moments before they settled back in his lap. Silence pulled at them.

“No, continue, I want to know how hard this is for you. I mean coming back from the dead seeing a person you’ve been watching from afar and already seeming to have a spot just for me because you’re so sure I’ll join up.” Erik said icily.

“You’re actually making this rather difficult,” Charles snapped. The smile that curled at Erik’s lips was one of malic and viciousness. He opened his mouth to ask what gave Charles the impression he would ever be cooperative, but instead Charles held a hand before his face—his other pressing as his temples. “Will you actually listen this time without judgment or at least keep it to yourself?” Charles nearly begged. Erik was slow to nod, yet he managed a brief tilt of his head before he settled back once more. Charles gave him a small thankful smile and went on. “I couldn’t be sure they weren’t still watching you, which is why this is dangerous for me. Yet, I couldn’t keep you out of the loop anymore. I need you because you’re the best of the best, and I have no idea why they ever let you go.”

“Maybe to draw you out,” Erik suggested. The words had left him before he had thought much about it, yet after he admitted that the idea that he could’ve been two forces pawn just set his teeth on edge. As much as he wanted to make Charles pay for what he’d done, he couldn’t quite sell him to the agency.

“I thought that too, hence the tentative contact, but I missed you and I am willing to take that chance,” Charles told him. Erik felt like he’d been stabbed right in the gut. He looked away; he was no longer able to take in the sight of Charles. “Plus, if they were going to grab me, they’ve wasted precious minutes. Erik,” Charles spoke softly, and Erik listened as Charles shifted forward. He tried not to shudder as Charles’ fingers brushed against his forearm—the other man had to be leaning too far to be comfortable. “Please, tell me you’ll join me.”

Erik rolled the proposition along his tongue and mind. His knee jerk reaction was to say no, to tell Charles absolutely not. Except if anyone could find out why or who had burned them, it would be him. Especially if Erik joined—then the rest would be like easy work. He could almost see them falling into the paces again, to work like a well-oiled machine. Except that would be to forget it, to forget the betrayal and to just skim over it all to allow Charles a pardon for the five years of silence. He rubbed a palm along his jaw.

“I know that motion,” Charles told him. Erik’s eyes flickered towards Charles; if his tells were still so easily read by Charles, he wondered if he could read Charles’ as well.

“I’ll think about it,” he replied. The nod Charles gave him was slow; Erik could see the contemplation flicker over along Charles’ features. “On the condition that you tell Raven that you’re back, she deserves that at the very least.” More than he did, except he couldn’t say that he couldn’t be that humble because Charles had been his everything.

 

 

*

 

Erik stood under the spray, his head titled upwards as he tried to get his body to loosen up. As he reached down his fingers wrapped around his usual bottle of soap except as he lifted it, the bottle was too light. He titled it over almost experimentally and gave it a squeeze. The bottle wheeze and only one tiny dollop landed on his palm. He bit out a small curse and dropped the bottle. The next time he leaned down he grabbed one of Charles’. He only gave it one quick glance, reading that it was what he wanted before turned the bottle over onto his palm. The scent that he had always attributed to Charles filled the air as he pressed the soap against his body rubbing the scent into his skin.

There is a part of him that wants to get the shower over with and to crawl into bed with Charles, to sleep off the worries and near misses of the previous day. He scraped the travel from his skin to loosen his muscles with the warmth. Erik rolled his shoulders before he stepped under the spray once more. Soap suds slide down his body and Erik just closed his eyes as he went over all that could be done with the mission and all they had done. The drop, the very moment that he had felt so weightless and had listened to Charles in his ear gasping along with his fall. Leaning down, Erik shut the spray off. He dragged his hand through his wet hair and then pushed it back through dislodging most of the water.

He also shook his head once for good measure before he ran a towel down along his body, collecting the water from every dip and curve of his muscles. Dragging the semi rough material over his flushed skin, Erik let out a tiny huff. The scent of Charles’ soap curled around him. His hand stilled on his chest, he nearly dropped the towel on the floor, but he and Charles had had more than enough discussions on how they would keep the apartment. He deposited the towel into the hamper before he padded out of the bathroom and into their bedroom. Charles was already in bed, his brown hair curled at the edges and completely dry. It had been dark, and wetly curling about his ears as he had called over his shoulder that the shower was free.

Erik slid a pair of sleep pants up over his narrow hips before he grabbed for the comforter that Charles had burrowed in. After a few tugs Erik manage to crawl under the sheets and press his cooling body against Charles’ warmer one. The action pulled a muffled grumble from Charles. Erik let out a small chuckle and then pressed his nose against Charles’ neck. There was a part of him that wanted Charles to wake up enough to call him a bastard before he rolled back over and pressed his head against Erik’s chest, but there was also another part that enjoyed the sleepy noises Charles emitted when he didn’t quite want to wake up. Taking one deep breath, Erik found exactly where his shower gel had gone. A smile curled at his lips right before he pressed a kiss against the warm flush. Charles let out another sound in response; he eventually snuffled closer, pressing his body against Erik’s.

“We should just move somewhere, where it doesn’t get cold like this,” Erik commented.

“No,” Charles’ reply was muffled. His arms snaked around Erik’s waist, pulling him until their flush against each other. “You’re wearing me,” he said sleepily. Erik laughed.

“And you’re wearing me.” Charles gave off one halfhearted, mumbled excuse and then burrowed even closer than Erik thought to be possible. His leg moved between Erik’s thighs,. “When are you going to visit your sister?” he asked. Charles huffed; Erik could feel his lashes as they brushed against his skin.

“Two weeks, she wants to meet you, the picture wasn’t enough,” Charles replied. Erik snorted.

“Do you want me to go?” he asked instead. Charles peeked up at him, his blue eyes half-lidded and looking mostly asleep as he just stared. Eventually he smiled, it was something so open and honest that for a few moments Erik forgot how to breathe.

“Yes, I think I would like that very much, if you came to meet my sister,” he answered.

“Then I’ll go meet your sister.” Charles hugged him tighter, burying his face against Erik’s chest.

“She’s going to ask you a million questions, and then she’s going get a giant crush on you. Then she’ll bother me about getting to know more information about you and it will all be glorious because you’ll be meeting my sister.”

“Sounds like you two aren’t that different,” Erik teased. Charles gave a laugh.

“Yes, we’re a matching pair. In every way,” Charles replied with a yawn. “So, in two weeks we’ll go visit Raven.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Erik agreed.

 

*

 

Charles gnawed on his bottom lip, a tell Erik knew well. He almost wanted to make the comment back, that he knew that face just like Charles had known his. Except, that would open something, what it was Erik wasn’t sure of but he didn’t want to step any closer to that particular brand of feelings. Charles looked back up to him, blue eyes bore into him.

“I’ll think about it. As long as you promise to think about my proposition as well, Erik, please do this for me.” Charles stood and next thing Erik knew he was standing with Charles. He somewhat hated himself for it, for how attuned to Charles he had already become within a few moments. He already knew he would probably say yes, and Charles probably knew it. Charles, who kept looking at him with those eyes. When he leaned closer, Erik didn’t stop him. The brush of lips against his felt like for a moment he was breathing real air; that he’d stopped choking for a moment. He held Charles close his body pressed against his, fingers dug into skin. He was sure it was painful for Charles but he never made a sound. Instead he wrapped an arm around Erik’s neck and pulled him closer, his fingers threaded through Erik’s hair like that was what he was supposed to do.

It all felt so familiar, like nothing had changed, almost as if he had his Charles back. The thought tore through his mind like a serrated knife. It hollowed him back out reminding him that things had changed, that his life had happened—he had lived five years. Five years, his ragged mind reminded him. Shoving away, Erik almost stumbled onto the table behind him. His chest heaved and he stared at Charles who just stared right back. Erik opened his mouth to speak, yet as the words threatened to tumble out from his lips he snapped his mouth shut and left. He ignored as Charles called after him, pleading for him to return, for him to look back.

Erik dropped into the driver’s seat, jammed his keys into the ignition, and then wrenched them out. The metal landed in the passenger seat just as he pressed his forehead to the steering wheel. He sucked in a breath, one that was supposed to steady him. Erik’s hands quivered as they wrapped around the leather that was his wheel. His vision swam before his eyes before he realized he was near hyperventilating. With a shake of his head, Erik felt around for his keys. He tried for a second time to start his car; he pulled away just in time to watch Charles burst from the front doors and watch him leave.

Erik drove, he didn’t know how long he drove but by the time he arrived back at his loft he had a trunk full of alcohol and Raven was waiting for him at his front door looking worried. Moira was at her side, her face mirroring Raven’s fairly well. Erik popped the trunk and they moved quickly. Moira was the first to get to the back of his car; she let out a string of curses all getting louder than the other.

“What happened, did we lose everything, are we back at square one?” she demanded.

“No.” Erik answered. He pushed out of his front seat before he sauntered to his trunk. One quick glance over all the bottles and he leaned down to procure one of them. His fingers wrapped around the neck as he brought it up out of the mass of glass and labels. “Help yourself,” he told them.

“Are we celebrating?” Moira asked, she quirked a brow upwards.

“No.” Celebrating, Erik stopped at that thought. Somewhere, low in his chest he wanted to celebrate, to tell them all that Charles was alive and well and that they could now be angry at him just like he was. Instead he unscrewed the top and took a swig of the liquor.

“What the hell is going on then, Erik?” Moira demanded. Raven was still quiet at her side.

“Secret spy things between spies and decisions being made by people who will either be a coward or they’ll step but.”

“Erik you’re not making sense,” Raven finally spoke up. Erik grinned and took another swig.

“And I’m not going to.” He tipped his bottle towards her, he felt like he was playing Charles’ game, dancing around the truth like the expert liar he was. Erik just watched as Raven looked at him with suspicion and worry. It clouded her features before she stepped up to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Her head rested on his shoulder as well as it could and she let out a shaky breath.

“Erik, please,” she whispered.

“It’s not my place to say anything. Got to wait for the other player to make the first move in the dance,” Erik replied. His face was pressed against her head. Moira made a gasping sound before she stumbled forward and grabbed one of his arms. She pulled him until he looked at her.

“You met your stalker,” she stated. “That’s why you went dark on me, and you’re protecting their identity.” She slammed her hand down on his shoulder, jostling the drink he held. “Damn it, why?” Erik just looked at her, and tried to think of a reason why he wasn’t telling. A reason that didn’t lead to him feeling like a pathetic moron who was hung up on a past relationship. Slowly, he pulled away from both of the women, heading straight for the door. All three of the boys looked up at him the second the door opened.

“Free booze out of my trunk,” Erik told them. Alex just stared at him but the other two slunk off past him. Silence stretched on and Alex kept staring.

“I can’t decide if this means we’re all fucked or if it means that I better get ready because we’re about to go into the Death Star,” Alex said. Erik cracked a smile.

“I’ll tell you in the morning,” he promised. Alex gave him a look before he too went out the front door to join in with more drinking. Erik just took another swig before he settled back on the couch. He’d regret it all in the morning, he knew that, but it didn’t stop him.

Charles’ eyes were still on his mind. 


	11. All My Memories, Keep You Near

Erik was woken up by a knock on his front door. He rubbed a hand against the back of his mouth and then swung his legs down to his floor. Running one hand through his hair, he tried to blink through the slight pain of hangover. Memories of the previous day poured through his mind, scraping at his already raw emotions. The knock sounded again. Erik pressed his palms against his cheeks; he was pretty sure he felt a little sick. With one push from the couch, he stumbled to the door and opened it—after he just barely disarmed the alarm. As the door swung open he cut off the curse that threatened to spill out. He glanced back over his shoulder just to make sure that no, Raven hadn’t woken up and stumbled behind him nor had anyone else for the matter. Erik brushed most of the sleep away from his eyes and then leveled a glare.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded. Charles just smiled and held out a brown paper bag.

“Bringing you breakfast,” Charles answered easily. “It’s your favorite—well as long as that hasn’t changed.” Erik wasn’t sure if he should reach out and grab the bag or if he should just leave it.

Erik shifted from foot to foot, brushing his knuckles against his jawline before he said, “So, is this making your decision?” he asked. Charles smiled a little.

“This is me trying to offer a little bit of a truce. The way we left it yesterday, I was afraid it didn’t reflect nicely on either one of us,” Charles explained. Erik snorted, he turned his head to the side and glanced behind him, just to make sure no one else had decided to get up and take a walk. “Do you have guests?” Charles rose a bit on the balls of his feet to glance over Erik’s shoulders.

“You don’t know? I thought you had a close eye on me, Xavier.” Charles winced at the use of his last name. However, he still held out the bag like some sort of peace offering. Erik’s stomach rolled in hunger and Charles just smiled—not unkindly.

“I didn’t watch you all the time, Erik. Only when I thought you might need my help,” Charles explained. 

“Comforting,” Erik drawled. Charles shifted from foot to foot, his eyes downcast for a few moments before he pushed the bag closer to Erik.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

“Did you decide as to whether or not you’re telling Raven you’re alive?” Erik shot back, his did however grab the bag. Opening it, he noticed that it was exactly as Charles had said, his favorite. It’d been a while since he’d had the meal. Rolling the top back up, he looked back up at Charles brows raised. “Have you decided yet?”

“Is it that important?”

“Yes, it depends on if you come in or not.”

“Honestly Erik? Is this a ‘your way or the highway’ type thing? I thought we could just have some breakfast together and maybe not trade blows.” Erik titled his head down and just let out a huff of breath. Dragging one hand through his hair, he glanced back up at Charles. The earnest look in those blue eyes, the way he could see that Charles had been gnawing at his bottom lip. It was almost like Charles had just dropped off from a solo mission and wanted to catch up.

“I am actually doing this for you, you’ll thank me later,” he answered. Charles frowned at him all whilst pulling his bottom lip in and gnawing at it. The confusion in his eyes was more than enough to make Erik begin to explain, though he had no idea why—he had no really loyalty left to Charles. Except behind him there was rustling of clothing and feet on the floor. It was the set of movement that Erik knew well. Raven was up.

He turned to tell her to go back, to the kitchen, to anywhere, but then she had to have caught sight of Charles because she screamed, loud and high pitched. The sound not only slammed into Erik’s head, reminding him that yes he did still have that hangover, but it also brought three loud thumps as Sean, Alex, and Hank were all startled awake. He clenched his eyes tightly shut as Raven let out another howl, though that one sounded a lot more like a name. Charles went rigid before his eyes and his face paled.

“I tried,” Erik mouthed before Raven forcibly shoved past him to Charles. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, so tight that Erik thought she might squeeze her brother to death. The look in Charles eyes was one of terror and uncertainty, and he just kept staring at Erik like he was supposed to do something about it. Or maybe it was because he never really expected to find Raven still at the loft. Then again he was pretty sure Raven had come from his bedroom, so that too could’ve sent him off kilter. Erik looked away and tried to trample on every bit of him that cared what Charles thought.

“You are such an asshole!” Raven shrieked. She reared back one hand and smacked him hard. “Why did you leave? Why did you leave me?” She let out a pitiful cry before burying his face against Charles’ shoulders. Erik just stood and watched while Charles worked his jaw and tried to say something. “I had to bury you Charles! I had to stare at a headstone because there was no body to burn. I had to go back _home_ alone. I had to listen as the lawyers were going on about giving the estate away, to give everything away. They were so cold.” She held on tight to the shirt Charles was wearing.

Behind him another pair of footsteps sounded. From the weight and the sounds of the gait, Erik knew it had to be one of the boys, most likely either Sean or Alex, except there was only one person who would’ve cared enough to see what was going on. Alex stopped right at his shoulder.

“That’s Xavier?” Alex asked. Erik heard the edge in his voice but it wasn’t until Alex nearly lunged forward with a growl that he knew how serious it would be. “The guy you thought was fucking dead?” Erik turned a little, and he pushed Alex back.

“Alex,” he started to speak but Alex shook his head hard.

“No, he was fucking yanking you around for five years. I don’t trust him. Why are you back now?” Alex demanded. The siblings stopped whatever part of the reunion they were on and looked back at Alex.  Charles seemed to recognize him, at least that was the expression that Erik read from his face.

“There is something we both want,” Charles said slowly, as he looked between the two of them.

“Bullshit!” Alex growled. He pressed forward once more, Erik shoved him back.

“Not. Now.” Erik ordered. He looked back up at Charles and for a brief few heartbeats they stared at one another, eyes locking and Erik felt like he couldn’t breathe. “I guess you should come in, seeing as you woke everyone up.”

 

“Thank you,” Charles replied. The smile that spread over his face was one that pulled at Erik so viciously that he had to look away. Everyone else seemed unsure of what to do with themselves, stumbling around his home like it was the first time they had ever been on their feet. Erik quickly sent the three boys to go grab themselves breakfast, yet when he tried to push Raven along she looked at him like there was absolutely no way he was going to manage to get her to leave. Erik chalked it up as a lost he was going to accept and then waited for Charles. Just as Charles settled on one end of the couch, Erik chose the exact opposite. Alex hesitated by the door, and his face switched between confusion, smugness, and then to worry. What he had to worry about, Erik tried not to think about. Charles was an obvious weak point that he didn’t want to look too closely into or allow anyone else to. Running a hand through his hair, Erik tried to start a conversation, but then his eyes flickered over to Raven—who was still standing in the middle of the room.

Her eyes flickered between them; she pulled at her bottom lip before she let out a soft cry. Erik saw the problem quickly, and as he looked at Charles he could see the understanding in Charles’ eyes as well. He had a multitude of options before him. Some went against what he planned to do and others would end up hurting Raven. He dragged his hands through his hair before he let out a quiet curse.

Erik stepped out of the room and allowed the two of them to have their moment without him. With his back pressed against the wall, Erik let out a few breaths, a slow in and out as he waited. It wasn’t that he was impatient, no it more was that as the minutes passed on he could feel his body tighten and coil, like he was some sort of snake. Erik kept his eyes closed as the murmuring continued, and up until it all stopped. Even when Raven had gotten loud enough for him to hear he blocked it all out—despite the fact that he wanted to listen above all else. Once he stepped back into the room, he rubbed at the back of his neck and tried to look a little imploringly.

“Raven, could you give us a moment?” he asked. Raven’s gaze darted between them and only seemed to be slightly compliant with it before she shuffled out of the room. However, she still sent a look over her shoulder. Charles waited before she was out of the room before he stood and paced. Waiting a few moments, Erik eventually stood along with him, but that only dragged the blue gaze back to him. It was sharp and accusing.

“How far did you let my sister get involved in this?” he demanded.

“Well, you watched it unfold, Charles, you tell me,” Erik snapped. The glare intensified for only a few moments before it seemed like Charles couldn’t even look at him.

“I didn’t know everything. I was, unnerved when you let that case into my sister’s home, but after that I was fine. Especially when you saved her and gave her sanctuary.”

“And after that Alex spilled about what it is we _did_ and Raven got the crash course,” Erik explained.

“You dragged her into this!”

“No, Azazel dragged her into this, I just educated her. Though I’m beginning to wonder if that whole show was just for me.” Charles looked taken aback, his mouth dropped open if only for a few moments before he turned his back completely on Erik. As if Erik couldn’t read every movement of his body. The fact that he was so fluent in Charles sent an ache across his body, but it was worse in the middle of his chest.

“You think it was for me?” Charles challenged. Erik read the line of his shoulders the way he stood so rigid, not a single soft line in his body. It was something he had loved about Charles, while everyone else had seen the kind smiling face that anyone could trust there were moments when there was nothing kind about Charles’ movements or expressions. Erik found that he had missed that very motion of anger.

“Well, Azazel made it clear that it wasn’t just for me. Did he know you were alive?” Erik demanded.

“Let’s not talk about that right now,” Charles bit out. He turned back around to face Erik and he saw that the expression was just as hard as the line of his shoulders had been. Erik stepped forward. He wasn’t about to let it all fall away, allow Charles to run off with another secret and leave him holding the pieces. The door swung open with Raven behind it, her eyes shifted over them. There had been asking to be let back in, but Erik supposed their yelling had called her forward.

“Stop!” Raven called out. Erik turned to look at her, her eyes wide and her hands clenched together. “For just right now, can we ignore the hurt?” she asked. Erik almost wanted to laugh at the preposterous idea, but he owed her something. They both did. Bowing his head down, he stared at the ground before he looked back up

“How about we get breakfast at your favorite café?” he offered. Raven looked over them, her face as guarded as she could make it. Yet, Erik could see the uncertainty slip through from the ways her hands twitched.

“Will it be safe?” she asked. He looked over at Charles, if only to affirm that the other man would go along with it. Charles just barely hesitated—something had lightened in his eyes—before he gave a quick nod.

“We’ll make do. Erik and I had many a days hiding in plain sight, didn’t we?” he asked.

 

*

 

Erik leaned back against the bar, sipping at his beer while he waited. The heat was sticky and the room was louder than what he’d preferred but he needed to stay put. There was a bit of noise near the corner where a group of men were playing poker, one of obviously coming out ahead and the others were getting less and less pleased with the actions. Erik shifted in his stance just as someone jostled him. It only took a quick glance to see who exactly it was and as he did, he gave a small smile behind his glass.

 

“If you ask me if I come here often I will not be responsible for what I do,” Erik warned him quietly. Charles titled his face up to face him only slight before he turned back to the bartender and ordered some blandly normal drink.

“You’re absolutely no fun,” Charles teased. He turned slowly, his elbows rested on the bar top. Erik waited; he kept Charles in his peripheral as he pretended to keep most of his attention on ~~most of~~ the other bar patrons. Most of them were relatively average people, but there were a few that crossed into recognition from their surveillance shots. Charles had been rubbing shoulders with half of them. It gave a whole new feeling to hiding in plain sight.

“So, how was target practice?” he asked. Charles dragged his fingers along the wood and let out a puff of breath.

“Likes women and poker, not much I can do. Though I do imagine you’d be better at it,” Charles said softly.

“I’m not putting on a dress,” Erik replied. The smile on Charles’ face was almost worth the comment that had caused the bartender to give him a second glance. Turning so he faced Erik more, Charles rested his elbows behind him and just grinned.

“But, darling, you would look so beautiful. I can see you now, moving about in a nice little blue number, you have fantastic legs for it,” Charles leaned closer as he kept whispering. Erik wanted to tell him to be quiet that they were attracting attention, except they weren’t. The entire bar seemed to be ignoring their existence, and not willfully ignoring at that. It was like they were two relatively boring people in a bar that was filled with more than enough exciting persons. Erik shifted and leaned closer to Charles—being completely normal would pull at attention ~~s~~. Neither of them were the type ~~s~~ that would be caught in the area ~~not really~~. While the other normal people weren’t ones that Erik personally watched, he did have a slight feeling that they were a little friendlier with the police force than the average Joe. 

“The fact that you have almost everything picked out should worry me,” Erik told him.

“But it doesn’t because the idea is starting to appeal to you, and I have everything picked out for you. Even the wig,” Charles gleefully told him. Erik arched his brow upwards and tried his hardest to stifle the smile that threatened to curl at his mouth.

“You do?”

“Mmhmm, red. I think you’d look fetching in a red bob,” Charles explained. A laugh threatened to tumble out of Erik’s mouth, but the very action would undo everything they had been trying to do. Instead he raised a hand up to his mouth and coughed against the palm.

“So,” he drawled out eventually. Charles chuckled deeply before he titled his head down, his chin nearly resting upon his chest.

“He’s at the far right poker table. High stakes. Eventually they’ll start putting possessions in the pot,” Charles answered.

“What am I playing for?” Erik asked.

“Pocket watch. Old thing, antique. You’ll have to make sure it has the inscription _10.21.04 Fairbrooks_. At least that’s what our bosses say it should say.”

“Sounds like trivial information.”

“Apparently back _home_ they will know exactly what to do.”  Agency analysts, which basically meant that the information was too high security for himself or Charles or they just didn’t trust their techniques to render any decent information. Erik was more inclined to think it was the former rather than the latter.

“This whole smoke and daggers thing is staring to make me feel like I’m in some kind of spy movie,” Erik complained softly. Charles was quiet for a few moments his eyes swept over Erik before he leaned forward. It was almost as if he were about to kiss Erik, but then thought better of it.

“Well then play the hero, darling,” Charles replied. Erik gave a short nod in response. He was slow to move away from the bar and to the poker table but eventually he made his way there. It only took a few words before one of the men kicked out a chair for him to take and then they watched him. Erik tried to make his body move more like a man who wasn’t a threat, yet as he moved he was under the impression he could be a nobody and everyone at the table would expect him to take a gun out on them. Part of him wanted to drawl that maybe they shouldn’t have messed with so many people, but that part was not something he was going to listen to. Instead he leaned back into his chair, gave the best friendly grin he had and then took what he was dealt. It was a rather bad hand, and as Erik looked up he could tell that hand had been intentional. They were gauging him to see how he would play.

“Are we taking a break already?” he asked. The men were all silent for a few moments before one or two of them smiled and laughed. His target, a scrawny man with a beak like nose and messy brown hair, hadn’t even cracked a smile. He had, however, brought up the pocket watch and had started to slide his fingers over the chain. Erik glanced up towards Charles only briefly and received a short nod in response. The watch was the very thing he needed to get on the table. The way the man held it though— it was important.

So Erik lost. Not all the time, but more often than not he’d let his money go and watch as the other men grinned like they were actually the predators in the room. Erik slid his hand along his watch and played with it for a few beats. The eyes drew to the accessory before he twisted his arm around, his palm facing up, and unhooked it.

“This was my father’s,” he said. It wasn’t a complete lie—the watch had been given to him by someone who was under the assumption they were his father, and Erik had really no qualms in getting rid of anything Shaw had bequeathed to him. Though he always felt better if he managed to lose it while on a mission, maybe it was because then it wasn’t just a spiteful act, but also one that made him a better spy.

 His eyes latched on to the mark’s. He hadn’t been doing well at any of the games either and his fingers had increased in the amount of times they rubbed the chain. When the man’s turn came, he abruptly stopped playing with the chain and instead yanked it away from his body before throwing it down to the middle of the table with a flourish. From the corner of his eye Erik could see Charles move closer, ready for the move.

The hand that was given to him wasn’t one of his best, but it was more than enough for him to work with. Erik got to work almost immediately schooling his features and making everyone at the table see what they wanted to. However, Erik wasn’t a newbie on his first mark and when he finally placed his hand on the pile of winnings he didn’t relax. It was a good thing because his mark immediately grabbed his wrist and held on tight.

“That’s mine,” he growled. The men around the table groaned.

“Franny, he won it fair and square,” one said with a sigh. Erik quickly gripped the chain that was still sticking out and pulled it to his lap with his free hand all while _Franny_ stared him down. Dropping his hand to his side, he allowed the chain to dangle, it swung only for a moment before Charles swept by. Once the exchange was had Erik made a show with his upper body, keeping the attention completely and utterly on his face while he deposited the fake watched back in place.

“Fine,” Erik grumbled, he pulled hard at the grip, “take the damn watch.” He stood, pushing away from the table. The anger was something he had to force, for once, as he started to stalk away. He tossed a look over his shoulder. “And you can keep all the money, I don’t play with men like you.” There was something wrong, Erik could feel it in his bones. Except it really wasn’t until Charles’ expression changed from placid to wide-eyed shock that he knew something was very wrong. It was within those few seconds that Erik twisted around only to see Franny begin to pull the gun from his holster as he began to yell.

Charles grabbed at the back of his collar, yanking him back until he fell flat on his back, and the air rushed out of his lips once he connected to the floor.

“Shit, sorry,” Charles apologized quickly. He knocked over one of the vacated tables and used it as a shield between them and Franny all while Erik rolled to his hands and knees. Sliding behind the barrier he shared a look with Charles before they both glanced at the table.

“I say we probably only have about five seconds before he starts opening fire,” Erik stated.

“Which is up now,” Charles commented, “but the only way out is through that door.”

“I doubt he’s that good of a shot.”

“He is angry.”

“One.”

“Two.” Neither of them said three, but like two machines in sync they both rose up and sprinted to the door, Charles in front of him—he’d been the one to study the maps while Erik had worked on most of his techniques. Behind them Franny bellowed. 

They pushed through the door and for a moment it was like freedom, except reality was fast on the heels of elation right as Charles grabbed his arm and pulled him down a narrow alleyway. Erik’s shoulder slammed hard against the edge of the opening. He clamped his mouth shut, keeping the cry of pain from even leaving him. Pressing as closely to Charles as he could manage, Erik continued to keep track on how far of a distance they had managed. Not enough, he could hear their pursuer even as Charles pulled him down another twisting alleyway. They were coming up to what looked like a choke point, where one of them would have to hang back and wait for the other to shimmy through the other side. Charles looked back over at him, eyes locking. Erik saw the exact moment that Charles was about to tell him he should go first.

Shoving him forward Erik shook his head and cut off whatever Charles had been about to say with, “No, you know your way around, if I went through first then we’d have to wait for you and we don’t know if there is enough room for you to get ahead of me again. Go.” Charles twitched at the command but he didn’t argue; instead he tilted his head back to look around Erik’s form. The sound of Franny calling for them bounced off the walls and it made it hard to pinpoint. Blue eyes flickered over Erik’s frame once more before Charles shimmied through the tighter area. Erik watched the area behind him; it wouldn’t do to get caught by some gambling addict that was a little too attached to his pocket watch.

“Erik!” Charles hissed. Erik snapped his head back and saw that Charles was most of the way through he could shimmy through as well, but that would leave the both of them pinned. So he waited, even though Charles continued to call his name—Erik knew that Charles wouldn’t stop moving either.

“We can’t both be pinned, Charles,” He reminded him.

“I fucking hate you. If you get shot I am not mourning you,” Charles yelled at him.

“Liar.”

“I’m through!” Erik let out a breath of relief and started his own way through the tight space. He kept his sights on the opening hoping that maybe they could get through without Franny catching up to him. Yet even as he hoped for it, Erik knew that it wasn’t going to be the case. The world proved him right the moment Franny slid into sight, his face red with exertion and his hands on his gun. Erik pushed himself as quickly as he could and found himself stumbling out into the wide opening.

Immediately Charles grabbed his wrist and pulled. Erik followed readily, his body moving quickly with Charles even as the other man tugged him through even more winding ways. Eventually it got to the point where the alley had narrowed so drastically, but not the same as the other one, where Erik’s shouldered rubbed uncomfortably against the walls. Charles wasn’t doing too much better but he was moving like he knew exactly where they were going. Erik opened his mouth to say something when the sound of a gun cracked through the air and then plaster rained down on his head.

“I am going to kill you faggots! String you up and fucking kill you!” Franny screamed at them.

“Haven’t heard that in a while, what will Franny say next?” Erik muttered. The look that Charles shot him was a startled one.

“What did you call him?” he asked.

“Franny.”

“That’s not his name.”

“It’s not?” Charles didn’t answer at first, he pulled him into a vacant house and shoved him into a tiny room. Erik glanced around noting that it was decidedly empty and small, but there looked to be a small opening that could be forced open if they had the weight and time.

“No, it’s not. It’s Francis, like my middle name,” Charles told him. He leaned out the door briefly before he pulled it back and looked at Erik. “Where did you hear Franny?”

“The men he was playing with and you didn’t give me the file with any of his specs so I went off of that,” Erik replied. Charles’ wide eyed reaction was almost worth the slight guilt he felt from pointing that out.

 “Oops?” Charles offered. Erik leaned down, he pressed his forehead against Charles’s and just stayed there for a few moments. Their breathes were intermixing and if they were in the middle of what most agents would have called a shitstorm, Erik was pretty sure he would just kiss Charles right there.

“Not the time. We’re trapped in here like rats if we don’t get whatever that is open.” He gestured towards what looked like a semi-sealed chute. “You want to work on it, or do you want me to?” he asked. Charles glanced over at the outline.

“You do it,” he said. Erik flashed him one small smile. Reaching forward he wrapped a hand around the knife Charles had strapped to himself. His fingers slid along the plastic of the handle and then pulled it out of the sheath.

“Love it when you order me around,” Erik purred. Charles graced him with a small quick smile.

“Later, darling.”

“Holding you to that,” Erik replied. It granted him another smile before he kneeled down to wedge the knife between the door and the wall. He jimmied the blade and then paused. There was no sound; Francis had yet to join them. He shared another look with Charles, the tension of the wait was pressing on both of them—pulling at their muscles and turning every ache into something lingering. Erik turned back to the small chute. The sound of his knife scraping against the wall was the only thing that kept them company. Once he broke through enough, Erik pushed his fingers into the opening and began to pull. He tugged, his muscles strained, and all he could hear was his own breathing along with Charles’. Still no Francis.

Whatever it had been exactly that covered the opening wrenched free with a horrible creaking noise before it slammed down to the floor. The hair on the back of Erik’s neck raised and he felt like every nerve in his body was singing. Charles was stone still as well before he dropped to his knees next to Erik.

“If he was near, he had to have heard that. He’ll be running in soon,” Charles warned. They both sat in silence and waited, Erik with his hand resting upon Charles’ hip and Charles’ hand on his bicep. They waited.

Right before the feeling of relief could settle the door slammed open. Francis’ footsteps—because who else could it be Erik thought—sounded throughout the room. He yelled and screamed, saying how he knew they were there. Erik waited, there was one more thing that Francis needed to do. Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Charles scooted along on his knees, closer to the opening. Both of them held their breath until Francis did exactly what he needed to. He fired. Somewhere plaster rained down and Erik pushed Charles through the opening only to follow afterwards. Once through Erik took a survey of the room. It was small and it had only one doorway, but it also had a stairway. The sound of Francis going through the rooms behind them quickened his pulse.

“Ready to go up?” he asked. Charles licked his lips.

“Taking the highroad today are we?”

“I thought you might enjoy that.”

“As if you planned any of this,” Charles muttered. He bounded up the stairs with Erik at his heels. If they could get up on the roof without Francis finding out they could get home free, but Erik had a feeling in his gut that it wouldn’t be at all that easy. They pushed through the final door and out onto the roof. Charles was breathing hard, his chest expanding quickly, and he looked over both of their shoulders his blue eyes sweeping over the entire area. “Too easy,” he whispered. Erik nodded, he felt like there should be something more. Except there was no real reason, Francis hadn’t been expecting them. He was improvising just like they were.

“I know,” Erik agreed. A shot rang out—it was too close. Pulling Charles close, he brought him to the ground.

“Thought you could get away, huh?” Francis asked them. How he’d gotten up there so quickly and how he had done it so silently made Erik think that he hadn’t been the only one putting on a show. “I really was wondering how long it would be until _they_ came for it.”

“Charles,” Erik said, his voice pitched low. They had gotten back to their feet, slowly. He was only given a brief nod in agreement. “Go.” It was the one thing he hated, turning his back on someone who wanted to kill him, but there were only a few ways to go down and they had no way to drop. So they ran until they reached the edge and then they jumped. The moment he was in the air, Erik felt like he was free for a moment, but then he came crashing down. He rolled, using the momentum to propel him forward and he was off again. Charles was only a bare few inches behind him, his feet slapped against the rooftops and the sounds of Francis yelling at them mixed with the sounds of gunshots.

Erik leapt, landed with another roll and pushed himself up. His body would hate him later, it would thrum in pain, but at least he would be alive. He glanced back as Charles finished his landing as well—and Charles would be alive too. Reaching out he grabbed at Charles’ hand pulled him along ~~with~~ , forcing his slightly shorter legs to move at Erik’s speed. The only moment he let go was to make another leap for the next building. Once more he landed with grace and as he looked back to gauge not only Charles but their pursuer, he watched as Charles crumpled to the ground and let out a muffled cry.

His first thought had been that Charles had been shot, that he was losing him. The way his heart slammed against his chest almost made him nauseous as he doubled back. His hands roamed quickly over Charles, checking for injuries.

“I’m fine. I’m fine, just my ankle,” Charles told him. He was pushing at Erik’s hands with one of his and then reached back towards his ankle. Erik’s eyes flickered back between Charles and the previous rooftop.

“Broken?”

“Sprained. I hope. Just get me up, I’ll move on it.” Charles didn’t say he had to, but they both knew it—even if it was unspoken. Erik wasn’t going to argue as he hauled Charles up and forced him to wrap one arm around him. “I’ll slow you down.”

“Shut up, I’m not losing you,” Erik gritted out. He shuffled forward as quickly as he could manage, his eyes darted around trying to find the quickest way to get down and out of the way. There was one door, it was most likely locked or the type that could only be opened from the inside. Erik made his decision quickly. Limping with Charles over to the door he sat him down. “I’ll be right back, and I’ll try to make it as quickly as I can.” He moved to hand his gun to Charles only to have it knocked away.

“No, keep it. I’m armed. If he comes, I won’t go down easily.”

“You won’t go down at all,” Erik growled. Charles waved his hand.

“I’m moving away from the door, you won’t be able to open it if all my weight is against it,” Charles told him. Erik wanted to argue, but Charles had a very good point. Instead he gave a warning glare before he moved to vault over an edge. “You stay alive too!” Charles called out as he dropped. For only a moment he was weightless before he slid his foot into a makeshift foothold and began his trip down.

He took more risks than he would ever tell Charles, but eventually there was an open window that he managed to slip through. Running he pushed at the door hard, everything in his body said he needed to get up there quickly and that he needed to see Charles. He took the stairs two at a time bounding over them; he slammed the door open with a force he hadn’t been aware he had just in time to see Francis landing on the roof and hitting Charles with the back of his gun. Erik wanted to yell, but he wasn’t some sort of random civilian.

Charles felt to the ground, blood blooming from his lip as he glared up at Francis. Erik moved quickly; maybe he could get around and subdue Francis before any more damage came to Charles. The second he stepped forward a gun was trained on him.

“Don’t think I forgot about you,” Francis snarled. “I got your boyfriend down like the bitch he is and you’re next.” Erik opened his mouth to reply. It could’ve been witty, but the next thing he knew there was a loud crack of a gun and Francis was falling with a scream. Just as he fell Charles rose up and slammed a knee into the downed man’s solar plexus. Francis gasped for air right as Charles pressed the barrel to his forehead and blew his brains.

Erik’s mouth went dry. He had never wanted to press Charles against anything and tear his clothes from his body more than he wanted to right then. Taking a shaky step forward he noted that his clothing felt a little tight on his body. Charles looked up from the dead body, his pupils blown wide and a heat in his eyes.

“I am glad to see you, and it looks like the feeling is mutual.” He stood, and wobbled once he put weight on his ankle. However, he managed to stay upright. “Ready to go back to our hotel?”

“I’m ready to take you to bed,” Erik said gruffly. Charles smiled, his lips pulled into a wickedly sensual one at that.

“I can _get behind that._ ” Erik rolled his eyes, he pulled Charles  closer to him, only to have Charles nearly fall on him.

“Sure you’re still good with this?” Erik asked. Charles reached between them his hand roaming down Erik’s chest and to his crotch.

“Do I have to kill another man to get you revved darling?” Charles inquired, he leaned forward most of his weight resting on his good ankle. Erik brushed his lips against Charles’.  It was a short, small movement but good enough for the both of them.

“You’re still covered with his blood and I watched you take him down,” Erik told him gruffly. “I think I am good.” He turned his body and slid an arm around Charles’ back. The two of them managed to get down the stairs and out into the streets. Erik didn’t mention or even ask if they would have to explain Francis’ death after they told their bosses they had the watch the extraction would come almost immediately, but Erik wanted to postpone them for a little bit. Plus, for all the people back at the bar knew Francis was still dealing with them. Somehow they managed it back to their hotel and Erik was gentle to let Charles rest on the edge of the bed.

“I thought you were going to tear off my clothes,” Charles said with a pout.

“Later, first we’re going to have to check that ankle of yours.” Erik reached down his hand wrapping around Charles’ calf as he elevated the leg. “It’s swollen, looks like I’ll need to cut off your pants,” Erik told him. Charles just smirked.

“Ah, now you’re just making excuses to get me out of my clothes as quickly as possible,” he teased. Erik hummed a little in agreement, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips as he set the ankle on the bed along with Charles. Walking back over to his duffle bag he sorted through his clothing and other things he had packed for the trip. Erik tucked a few items into his back pockets, before his hands found their way to his medical kit. When he’d been younger he had imagined a day when he wouldn’t bring a kit to a mission, but that had been before he’d had reality knocked into him via a lesson from Shaw in his early days.

Erik returned to the bed and slid a knife beneath the fabric. There was a moment of silence before Charles gave him the go ahead nod. He tried to be careful and tender about the whole thing but as he sliced through the clothing he could see the winces that Charles tried to hide from him.

“Are you sure it’s just a sprain?” he asked. Charles looked down at him, exasperation clear in his eyes.

“I am not that fragile. Just get it over with so you can make sure and then we can get onto more interesting things,” Charles replied. He wiggled his eyebrows and it was tempting; Erik had seen the competence in Charles’ hands as he had taken Francis down. The thought was followed by other ideas of what Erik wanted to do to Charles after seeing that competence. He refocused on the job at hand. Once he was past the knee it got even more difficult to slice the fabric open without harming Charles. Setting aside the knife, he tugged at the fabric, pulling it apart until it gave a satisfying rip. The sound Charles emitted was not one of pain and Erik had to stop all that he was doing as heat rushed through him.

When Erik actually looked at the ankle he gave hiss. It was swollen. He cupped Charles’ calf, his fingers dragging along the skin slowly. The ankle itself didn’t look too pretty and without a way to look at it exactly Erik couldn’t tell if it was really sprained or broken. He got back up, but not before his allowed one of his hands to trail up Charles’ leg. Teasingly he drew the pads of his fingers along Charles’ inner thigh. Charles let out a soft almost whimper like noise as he tried to shift his legs wider. Erik just stood for a few moments and dragged his hand closer to Charles’ groin before he leaned and pressed a kiss to where his fingers had once been. His tongue swirled along the flesh, eliciting a moan from Charles. He shifted beneath Erik, yet as he did he sucked in a painful gasp.

Erik recoiled, like he had been the one to hurt. His mouth opened involuntarily to apologize but Charles was already reaching for him, wanting to pull him down.

“Let’s get that wrapped,” he said instead. Charles looked at him, eyes full of heat and his lips red bitten. “Before I do anything more, and before that ice.”

“You’re such a fucking tease,” Charles complained. Erik just rubbed a hand along his thigh and turned to grab a bucket for ice.

“I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t find some man after your blood while you’re out!” Charles called after him. Erik would shout back but as he made his way into the hall he saw an old woman who was curled over her cane and watching him. Technically she wouldn’t be a threat to him at least physically, but there were often times that people had used someone who appeared to be a non-threat to get a wedge in. Instead he nodded his head in greeting and went on his way to gather ice. The machine was old and clunky. It rattled and seemed like it was on its last leg, but it gave him enough ice for Charles’ ankle and maybe some extra. Erik felt the need to check over his shoulder, but the old woman was no longer there, there were no eyes on him.

Still, even without danger bearing down on his neck, Erik made his way quickly back to the room. For all he knew Charles would decide he had waited too long and would get back onto his feet. When he pressed the door open, however, Charles was still resting on the bed mostly in the same spot except for the fact that he was propped up on his elbows. Erik pulled a ragged towel from the bathroom and dumped a good amount of ice into the towel. The entire time he moved around the room, Charles watched with hungry eyes.

“Hurry up, I know I have to have that on my ankle for twenty-minutes and I really don’t want to wait that long before you fuck me,” Charles demanded. Erik paused for a moment, and laughed.

“What if I make sure your wait isn’t boring?” he inquired. Charles seemed to think the whole thing over before he just chuckled. He crooked a finger in Erik’s direction, and Erik followed quickly. One hand went beneath the muscled calf and lifted the leg up elevating the hurt ankle while his other placed the ice along the bruised and swollen skin. All while his hands did most of the work, Erik leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against the knob of Charles’ knee, he dragged his tongue against the skin reveling in the taste of Charles. Beneath him, Charles flopped his head back against the bed and let out a low sound from his throat. The action pulled a small smile from Erik’s lips. He moved up along Charles’ legs, rubbings his lips against the sensitive skin pulling out gasps and curses from Charles.

Erik plucked a cube from the towel and placed it in his mouth; he wrapped his lips around the cold cube allowing it to peek out past his lips. Pressing his tongue against the cube, he leaned down and placed his mouth along Charles’ thigh. His fingertips just barely keeping the towel on Charles’ ankle as he did so. Charles flung out his hands to the bed and gripped the bed tightly, his fingernails scraping along the bedspread. The cube melted in his mouth, yet it left his lips feeling numb. However, Erik kept kissing and mouthing at the white flesh beneath him.

“Christ! You’re going to kill me!” Charles called out. Erik chuckled.

“I would prefer not to. I like you alive and well,” Erik responded. Gently, he lifted the towel from Charles’ ankle and then reached for the wraps he had brought. Charles watched him through half lidded eyes as he wrapped the ankle; his bottom lip was pouted. Erik slid his fingers along the wrap testing its tightness, and making sure it stabilized the stressed muscles. “Does the feel better?” he asked. Charles reached forward, his fingers wrapped around Erik’s shirt. He pulled him forward and Erik followed without a single thought.

“A little, but I know of one thing that will make me feel _much_ better,” he whispered. Erik quirked a brow all whilst he tried to keep the grin from his face.

“I think I can agree with you on that one,” Erik replied. His legs bracketed Charles’ hips and he hovered over his lover. “I mean we’re already halfway there.” Slowly he dragged his fingertips along Charles’ bare hip.

“Mmhmm,” Charles readily agreed. “Though we need to dispose of your clothing.” Charles’ thumbs moved along his cheek bones, cupping Erik’s face and pulling it down to his. Their mouths made a sinfully slow slide against one another before their tongues joined the dance. Erik’s fingers played in Charles’ hair, twisting in the locks in a languid motion. Nipping at Charles’ top lip, Erik eventually pulled back only to stare into the darkened blue irises that very nearly pulled him back in.

“You first,” he replied huskily. Charles didn’t put up a fight, instead he pulled at the hem of his shirt, Erik joined him in with the effort, slipping his fingers beneath the fabric. As he grazed his nails against the warm skin ~~that was~~ of Charles’ stomach Erik could barely keep himself from bowing down and pressing his mouth to the taunt stomach. His reserve only lasted until the shirt was no longer obscuring Charles’ chest. Bending down he dragged his tongue along the twitching muscles of Charles’ abdomen. Charles twisted his own fingers into Erik’s hair pulling him up along his body. Erik didn’t resist not until he got to Charles’ pectorals. There he placed a stilling hand on Charles’ wrists. “Let me,” he pleaded. Charles stopped pulling at him immediately and he leaned down to swirl his tongue along the dusky nipple. Charles once more began to writhe beneath him. Quickly Erik placed a steadying hand on the injured limb.

“You’re so infuriating,” Charles breathlessly complained. His face was flushed with want and all Erik could do was grin at him.

“I can be more so,” he answered. The expression that flickered over Charles’ face was one Erik read as challenging. He let out a low laugh and reached back to the discarded towel. It took him a few moments to select a cube that wasn’t too small or that had been too melted down. He rolled it long his fingers allowing it to coat them with the chilled liquid before he deposited the cube on Charles’ chest.

Charles shuddered and gasped at the sensation. Erik leaned down once more, his tongue following the cool trail left by the melting cube until he sucked it up into his mouth and deposited it on one of Charles’ erect nipples. Arching towards him, Charles made a noise that went right down to Erik’s groin.

“Insufferable bastard!” Charles gasped. Erik swirled his tongue, pushing was little was left of the cube around until Charles yanked painfully at his hair. “Please, please,” he desperately whispered. He pulled at Erik’s clothing like he was about to rip them from his body. Erik pulled back, tutting his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

“First we need this off,” Erik reminded him. Resting back on his heels he made one swipe against the waistband of Charles’ boxer-briefs.

Charles groaned, flopping his hands above his head before he bit out, “I hate you so much right now.” Erik hummed as he curled his fingers beneath the band and started to tug on it. Propping up on his good foot, Charles raised his body to help. Once he had the fabric over Charles’ hips and down along his thighs Erik dipped his head down to brush his lips along the tip of Charles’ cock. The muscles in Charles’ leg clenched tightly while he let out a string of curses. “Clothes!” he demanded, his fingers extended to grab for Erik’s top. Erik just let out a chuckle until he managed to get the fabric all the way down Charles’ legs---careful of his swollen ankle.

Erik stilled for a moment and just took in Charles the way his pale flesh stood stark against the dark bed sheets and the way he looked so flushed, and all in want for Erik. It was a perfect picture that Erik never wanted to lose. He pulled the items from his back pocket and Charles just grinned at him, like it was Christmas morning. Waiting for a few moments in silence, he just looked over Charles like he was the best thing in his life. He was slow to move, but he eventually pulled his clothing from his body, allowing the fabrics to drag against his sensitive flesh. From his position on the bed, Charles let out a pleased noise.

“I never want to let this go,” Charles whispered. Erik just looked at him, he felt a little confused by the words, but the feeling was utmost mutual.

“Nor do I,” he agreed. Charles sat up and reached out for him, and Erik fell upon him—careful of his injuries. He pressed his lips against Charles’ and cupped his hand along the back of his neck. Pulling closer, Erik poured his entire self into it. Charles pulled away from the kiss, but not before he left a lingering drag of his mouth against Erik’s.

“Erik,” Charles breathed into his ear. “Please.” All of Erik’s resolve crumbled, he scrambled for the lube he had placed on the edge of the bed only to pause when he thought of how exactly they would have to be careful about the ankle. He dragged a hand though his hair.

Settling slowly down on the bed he pushed Charles’ legs apart, before he lifted one leg up on his shoulder. Below him, Charles just bit at his bottom lip and gave a please expression as Erik coated his fingers with the slick. He was slow to enter Charles even with his fingers; all of his motions were slow and languid pulling as much as he could from Charles, teasing him. Crooking his finger he brushed against that bundle of nerves and Charles nearly bucked off the bed if not for his other hand holding his hips prone.

All while his fingers worked Charles open, Erik began to make marks along Charles’ inner thigh eliciting gasps and moans from him. It was like coaxing a sweet melody from a favored instrument, and Charles just looked up at him like he was in bliss.

“Please, please, Erik.” A wicked smile curled at his lips as he pressed against the nerves and Charles let out a scream. His hips pistoned up with a force that Erik couldn’t hold down, for a moment Erik just stopped, unsure if Charles had jarred his wrapped ankle or if anything else had come from it.

“Charles, you’re going to have to not do that or else we can’t continue,” Erik warned. The expression on Charles’ face was one of complete fear.

“No! No! I promise, no I won’t move my legs, baby, just please.” He pulled at Erik. “Please.” Erik removed his hand from Charles’ opening but before Charles could even voice his protest, he shushed him. Reaching over back to the lube, he coated his cock with it liberally. Guiding himself in, Erik’s entire body shook with the friction that came from their coupling. Charles reached up, grabbing the back of his neck, and kissed him hard while he continued his slow movements. Nails dragged at his skin, sending heat through his entire frame.

Charles gasped against his mouth as he rolled his hips. In that brief time they were breathing together as one. Erik turned his head ever so slightly and pressed kisses to Charles’ flushed cheeks. Placing a hand on the leg with the injured ankle, Erik made sure to keep it stable as he could whilst he thrusted into Charles.

“Oh,” Charles uttered between a low moan. “Fuck… yes.” He pulled at Erik’s head once more, mouthing all his wants against Erik. His breath danced along Erik’s skin and wrapped around him like a blanket of need. Staring into Charles eyes, he picked up his tempo at which Charles made an appreciative noise.

 

Hands trailed down along Erik’s back until they cupped his ass and pressed down on it, pushing him deeper into Charles. A moan ripped out of Erik, his entire body quivered with it until he could no longer hold onto it all. Removing his hand from the leg he wrapped it around Charles’ cock and stroked. He swiped his thumb over the head and then dragged his callused palm down to the base and then back again.

“Fuck!” Charles called out. He pulled hard at Erik’s hair and with that his muscles contracted around Erik. Charles followed him soon after, gasping out his name until Erik slipped from him and rolled onto his back.

“One hour,” Erik breathed out, “and then we’re calling for back up.”

 

*

 

Erik wasn’t sure where Charles went with the look in his eyes, but his memories were less welcome to him. He turned his gaze to Raven and gave her a small, hopefully comforting, smile. She returned it uncertainly but as she looked between the two of them, she seemed to gain even more uncertain about things.

“Let’s go.” Holding out on hand he waited, and she only gave one glance at Charles before she placed her hand in his. The question of if Charles was coming sat on Erik’s tongue, but he refused to ask it. Instead he turned his back on the man and went on his way, Raven trailing behind him. He could hear as Charles’ feet picked up and he followed. 


	12. Shake It Off

Raven went to go grab their food and drinks, but not before she sent a worried glance over her shoulder. Almost as if she expected them to either all at once go for each other’s throats or if they would kiss and make up—and she didn’t want to miss that. Erik waved off her second and third glances his way. Erik dragged his fingertips over the table top, and he tried to think of what to say to Charles, but all his mind could come up with hurt and pain. He felt raw inside, but he’d been feeling raw since the moment Charles had arrived back into his life. He rubbed at his jawline before letting out a breath.

“Are you going to meet up with any more old friends?” he asked Charles. Blue eyes, wide and almost innocent looking—if not for the fact that Erik knew exactly what they were capable of—looked back at him. Charles licked his bottom lip and then settled back in his seat.

“No, I’ve already tapped those out. Plus it would be expected of me to go back to somewhere familiar.”

“But it was fine for me?” Erik demanded. Charles had the decency to not look too surprised, but he did look a little resolved as he started to speak again.

“You were never really _friends_ with my friends, at the most they would think you were trying to chase a ghost of me,” Charles replied.

“I was.” Erik admitted. It was almost satisfying how shocked Charles looked at the revelation. A blush crawled along Charles’ cheeks and he looked away from Erik. Clearing his throat he made another swipe with his tongue over his lip.

“Well then they would find you extremely believable and stop watching you so closely,” Charles replied. His voice was thick and Erik tried to ignore it. He ignored every part of him that screamed to make it better because Charles deserved whatever he got.

“Indeed, but I would think five years of you not even contacting me would also lull them into a sense of false security,” Erik snapped.

“You would think, but maybe they actually gave me the benefit of the doubt not to skewer myself by seeing you,” Charles pointed out.

“So what gives you the opening now?” Erik asked.

“Strangely enough, Shaw. Him visiting and riling your feathers was enough for them to glance away from you for a few moments.”

“And now that he’s gone?”

“I suppose they might check in, but not so soon after he left, plus I don’t expect Shaw will return to his post immediately. It’ll give us some time to get you acquainted with the group. Of course that is if you agree to meet my group.”

“Still pushing for that?”

“Always. Erik, I wasn’t lying when I said we were always better together. You and I, we’re magnificent.”

“We _were_ magnificent. It’s been five years, who knows if we’re even compatible?” Charles reached out; he grabbed a hold of Erik’s hand. His thumb rubbed circles into the back and Erik felt like he was pulled back into a time when it actually meant something.

“I’ll do it.” Charles blinked at him, his mouth pulled into a smile. “But I am not promising to stay.” The smile fell. Raven’s arrival at their table saved the both of them from having to have the conversation any longer. She sat down the drinks and then glanced between them before her gaze locked on their hands.

“So, are you two fixing everything?” she asked. Erik jumped like he’d been scalded. He tugged his hand away roughly. He looked away from the both of them as he felt the anger well up in his chest. He wanted to get out, but he promised Charles he’d see his team. Plus, with what Charles had told him there was a new sense that they might have been right on the cusp of a time limit.

“We’re,” Charles paused, he locked eyes with Erik and forced out a smile, “We’re working on it. Five years is awhile for an estrangement like we’ve had, but I am aware that you and I need some time too, to repair our relationship.” Raven looked him over and for a moment Erik desperately wanted her to throw it all back in Charles’ face. To feel the righteous indignation that those five years had been more damaging than helpful.

“We’ll see Charles, but that really hurt. It hurt to know that you kept yourself away from me and that you came back to Erik first,” Raven’s voice wobbled. She busied herself with the meal before her, her fingers curled around the muffin she had grabbed pieces off of it. Only a few pieces got into her mouth. Her entire body trembled and Erik nearly got out of his seat to wrap a comforting arm around her before he remembered her actual brother was beside him. Raven shoved against the table, nearly knocking over the drinks as she did, and then stood. “I-I need to go. Do something. I am sure you two have _things_ to do or talk about or whatever you two did.” She flapped her hands in front of her face for a couple of moments. Within the action, Erik felt like he should do something, but he was cut off when Raven swooped down and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She made an abortive move towards Charles before she just cupped a hand to her mouth and shook her head.

She left without saying another word.

“You know, the real thing is nothing like when it really happens to you,” Charles said softly. Erik raised his head, he could see the droop in Charles’ shoulders; the way he looked haunted and like he too had had his insides scooped out with a rusty spoon.

“Tell me about it,” Erik replied. The air rushed out of him while he thought of all the times he had imagined Charles reappearing in his life. He had never taken into account the anger he’d feel, or the way he’d just boil with indignation. What Erik had looked at was the relief he had been so sure he’d feel because all of his times with Charles wouldn’t have been just something he would have to cling to memories for.

“Erik, I am sorry that I had to do this to you,” Charles whispered.

“It’s,” he stopped speaking what could he say that it was all in the past? No, Erik couldn’t keep it in the past it would rise up, stick to him like syrup until he trembled beneath the weight. He couldn’t say it would be fine either—it was so very much not. “Let’s just go meet with your group, shall we? Your new friends.”

“Right.”

They picked up their coffees and left whatever food Raven had picked up for them. Charles left a few dollars in the tip jar and then led him down along the street.  It was within those moments that Erik remembered what it was like to be with Charles to actually go out to coffee with him because he wanted to, to walk down the street and itch to hold his hand, and the feeling he had been cased with because he loved Charles so.  Erik took a gulp of his coffee; he relished in the burning sensation as it traveled down his tongue and throat. It pulled him back to the present and far, far away from the lingering temptation of the past.

Eventually, somehow because Erik hadn’t been focusing as much as he should, they made it back to his home and into his car. Charles sat to his right and gave him directions quickly and efficiently. Erik made himself keep almost all of his attention on the road before him, yet there were parts of him that slipped towards Charles. He felt like some sort of magnet and that Charles was some sort of metal.

Erik parked the car and stared at Charles for a few moments. Charles stared right back; there was so much in his eyes. It almost felt like one of their missions before they had to pretend to be other people. The type that had no connection to each other, yet instead of it being a game of pretend Erik knew it was all too much the truth. Still he didn’t stop Charles when he leaned over and pressed his lips to Erik’s. In fact he would later hate himself for the way he leaned in, for the way his fingers played along the strands of Charles’ hair and how he nearly forgave Charles for a moment. He ripped himself away and leveled a glare at Charles.

“Don’t do that again,” he warned. Pain slid along Charles’ features, but he seemed to push it all away and put back on his mask.

“I won’t,” Charles promised. Erik just paused he looked over Charles and they both knew that was something that neither of them could keep. Instead he cleared his throat and then nodded towards the building.

“Going to show me off?” he asked. Charles’ entire expression was tight.

“It’ll be like meeting an idol for some of them.” Erik snorted at the thought. No one had ever really looked up to him except for maybe Raven and Alex, but Alex had learned his lesson the hard way. Still, they stepped out of the car and headed towards the building. It looked like nothing much on the outside, but as they stepped in Erik could recognize the bits and pieces that were purely Charles. He stopped at the door when a somewhat familiar face appeared.

The red head from the storage units wandered in front of him, her hands full of schematics and such. She stopped dead as the sight of them. Her movements were quick to shield most of the information from Erik’s eyes, but completely unnecessary.

“Erik, this is Jean. Jean this is Erik. I believe you two have seen each other in passing?” Charles introduced. Jean gave a shielded smile, but one nonetheless.

“We did. I almost thought you caught onto me,” Jean admitted.

“Do you actually work there, or am I actually that predictable?” Erik asked. He looked closer at Charles.

“You’re not predictable,” Charles whispered. He stretched out one hand, reaching for Erik but he returned his gaze back to Jean. She was looking at him as well, almost seeming to assess him. Her lips puckered slightly before she nodded her head further on down the hall.

“Are you going to give him the grand tour?” she asked.

“That was the plan, are you finished with those?” Charles motioned towards the schematics she was holding. Jean glanced down at them for a brief few moments.

“I was on my way to burn them.”

“Good.” Charles hooked a hand around Erik’s upper arm and then proceeded to try to strong arm him towards one of the rooms. When the door opens up he saw two people turn towards the sound. One of the faces was vaguely familiar, like he had seen them at a point in time, and the other was a completely new person.

“This is Scott and Darwin, boys, this is Erik.”

“He doesn’t look like a superhero.” Before Erik can even open his mouth the other man stepped forward, hand stretched out.

“I’m Darwin, and ignore Scott he’s just an asshole.”  Erik slid his gaze over towards the man in sunglasses; there was something about him that pressed at his memories. A familiarity that he was uncomfortable with having, Erik stared for a few moments as he tried to slot the face into the right portion of his memory.

 

The fact was that he didn’t forget faces, not easily.

“Noted,” he finally replied. Scott’s face started to pull into a rude expression before Charles pulled Erik out towards another room, whispering apologies in his ear. Erik blocked most of them out because while they soothed parts of him there were other areas that felt like every word that dripped from Charles’ mouth was like salt upon his wounds.

“I do apologize for Scott, he’s a little touchy about you,” Charles said. He pushed upon a door and Erik had to pause to wonder what exactly Scott had as reasoning for his distaste. Was he attracted to Charles, did he not want someone who could be considered an _ex_ , to be poking around?

“And why is that?” he asked.

“You’re linked to him in a way. Don’t think too much on it, I am sure it’ll be soon revealed to you,” Charles answered.

“Keeping another secret from me?” he challenged.

“It’s not my secret to tell, or else I would be an open book for you,” Charles replied. Erik snorted at the comment; they both knew that wasn’t the full truth. Neither one of them could be an open book for the other. They just weren’t that type of person.

Behind them, the team members he had met were all trailing behind them. Hands empty of anything. The act in itself put Erik on edge. They were waiting for something, for him to do something or react in a certain way. He raised his brows and looked at Charles. The fact that Charles only gave one glance back and the three dropped back a bit, spoke a little more of his leadership.

“They don’t trust me.”

“They don’t trust my opinion of you.”

“Aren’t you the leader?”

“We were involved.”

“We thought he _might_ be a little biased,” a familiar voice made Erik ~~just~~ stop. He didn’t let his face react obviously, but there were enough twitches that if Charles was watching him, there was no way he would miss what was about to happen next. He turned on the ball of his foot, a quick pivot. All of his movements felt like second nature as his sight fell on Azazel—and Janos, and then within a heartbeat his fist slammed into Azazel’s face. He sent the man sprawling while the rest of the group rushed around him. Hands grabbed at his clothing, at his body, and pulled him back. Erik almost found himself on the floor as well, but he somehow managed to balance his weight against the others and keep himself from the same fate.

“I told you he was a fucking loose cannon!”

“Not now, Scott.”

“He’s kind of got a point,” Darwin added.  Erik could hear the tension in Charles’ voice from the edge where he was standing. A pair of hands tightened along his body, and Erik was sure if he glanced down he would find them familiar. He didn’t growl, but it was a near thing as Janos pulled Azazel to his feet.

“So, Ms. Frost, where is she?” he asked. Then he did twist around so that he could face Charles, so he could watch the blue eyes while he was either lied to or the truth was laid bare before him. One of Charles’ minions stepped forward as if they could bodily stop him from finding out.

“She’s a colleague, but not part of the group,” Charles answered quietly. “Can you all let him go?”

“He’s just attacked Azazel!” Jean pointed out.

“He’s dangerous!” Erik couldn’t tell which one of Charles’ lackeys said that, but he twisted in their arms before he sent a smirk their way.

“Not helping, Erik!” Charles snapped.

“Let me go before I do prove myself as too dangerous,” he told the three of them. His smile tightened even more.

“Erik!”

“Let him go, he has wanted a good reason to slug me for a while, and I am sure our fearless leader does not disapprove of why he wants to,” Azazel spoke up. He rubbed at his jaw, his fingers danced along the afflicted flesh. The hands slowly pulled away and Erik stood on his own two feet without anyone grabbing for him. He brushed his clothing off and then turned to look at Charles. Their eyes locked and neither of them mentioned that it was Charles’ message that sent him off to head off Azazel’s men in the first place. That Erik would’ve been too late.

He conceded a point to Charles.

“Is the invite still open?” Erik asked. He looked at the group, he saw the distrust easily in the eyes of some, but it was in that moment when Scott looked at him that Erik saw it. It was a wariness he knew all too well.

It had been a gaze he had known all too well on a very different face.

“It’s still open,” Charles affirmed. No one moved to even disagree. Instead they just watched. Maybe it was to see where the power would go or to see how he would react, if he would attack again. Erik shifted and watched the ripple effect as they all moved with him, even Charles.

“The only way I’ll join _your_ team is if I can bring in my own people,” Erik told him. He watched Charles’ face carefully, and took into account every shift of expression as he thought over the proposition.

“You’re in no position,” Scott started to say.

“Shut up, Summers.” Erik snapped. His jaw tightened and he made sure he kept his gaze firmly on Charles, letting him know his decision would be that particular tipping point. Charles jutted his chin forward—challenging—and then he could see the second before Charles opened when he gave in.

“Fine, maybe with more brain power we’ll be able to get further,” Charles replied.

“You know that means Moira is getting involved,” Erik warned. Charles allowed for a small self-deprecating smile to cross his face.

“I will be lucky if she doesn’t already know. Raven may have told everyone that I am alive and your,” Charles paused, sending a glance towards Scott and then looked back to Erik, “Alex might have just filled in the rest of your crew.” Erik snorted.

“They have a little more tact than that, and since Raven now knows she’ll probably appreciate the privacy more,” Erik replied. There was an argument brewing, but Erik had had enough of playing nice. He took a step back and made a move to leave.

“Erik,” Charles called softly. “Will you be able to set our past aside?” The question was like pins and needles on Erik’s chest. One pushed too deep and he let out air in a whoosh. His hands shook before he stuffed them into his pants and turned to look at the wall instead.

“I think that’ll be a little hard,” he replied. Behind him, Charles shifted. “Seeing as our past is probably is what caused us both to be expendable.”  Charles didn’t argue with him, instead his gaze just narrowed. He breathed hard from his nose, but gave a slow nod in agreement.

“I can’t disagree with that, seeing as Cerebro was something that we uncovered by accident. I understand, but can we put aside our _problems_?” Charles asked. Erik sneered despite the ache within his chest that wanted nothing more than to forget they had problems, the bit that wanted to draw Charles in close and kiss him until they were both breathless, but that part of him wouldn’t be helpful—so he pushed it away.

“Good. You’ll let me know more about our link to Cerebro later?”

“Later?” Erik’s smile was tight, like it was glass and so very near the breaking point.

“Yes. I need to go back home, talk to my group. Convince them not to set you on fire. You know, the usual,” Erik drawled. Charles sucked in a breath.

“Of course, but since you’ll be informing everyone of our joint venture, I do believe it would be best if I came with you. To talk to Moira and everyone else, I suppose to plead my case as well,” Charles replied. The fact that Erik wouldn’t be any help in that wasn’t mentioned they just stared each other down. Neither of them ready to move or to really acknowledge their standoff really.

“Fine. If we’re being civil,” Erik finally relented.

“I believe that was the agreement,” Charles replied. Pushing his way past Charles’ groupies, he made his way back out through the maze without a moment of hesitation in his steps. Charles followed behind him, like a shadow he no longer wanted but clung to. It was like his ghost had become real only to terrorize him. All he wanted to do was to close his eyes and wake up six years ago, and for it all to be a dream and for the sting of betrayal not to hurt so badly.

As they stepped out into the sun, Erik felt his body tighten even more despite the heat trying to sooth his muscles. With Charles at his side it was almost a twisted moment of déjà vu.

 

 

*

 

“And how does your sister feel about you bringing a _co-worker_ to her apartment?” Erik asked. The heat was sweltering and he almost wanted to shed all of his clothing, but he was fairly certain that even if he did take off all of his clothing the heat would be too much for him. Charles didn’t look like he was fairing too much better, but they were both people who preferred the northern states when they had time off. However, from what Charles had often said about his darling sister, she loved heat and since she had the family money to use for whatever she wanted she could move around anywhere she wanted to.

“Because she has begged me for months to meet my _hot_ co-worker that I complain about so much,” Charles explained. He made a move like he was about to wrap an arm around Erik, but then he frowned at their sticky bodies and instead patted him on the back.

“And what lies do you make up about me?”

“Oh just that you’re reckless, grumpy in the mornings if the coffee machine breaks and I have to suffer through your grump, and that you manage to argue with me about the most pointless things in less than five seconds from when I get in the door,” Charles teased.

“Is this when you get in at night and we’re discussing our political views over drinks or when you try to wake me up in the morning?” Erik asked.

“A little bit of both. I can’t exactly admit that I am shagging you.”  Both of their smiles fell for a moment at the memory of the secret they hated to keep.

“I am still under the impression that they know,” Erik said softly.

“Even if they do,” Charles trailed off.

“We can’t make it easy for them,” Erik supplied. He leaned closer to Charles, their shoulders brushing for a moment. “They already know so much.” Charles hummed in agreement. Falling into an agreeable bout of silence they made their way through the crowds, picking the least crowded routes until they made to wherever Charles was leading him. Erik was about to ask where to next when a blonde blur wrapped itself around Charles with a scream.

“Raven! Raven! It is too hot for this!” Charles cried out pitifully, but he only made tiny movements of trying to dislodge her. Erik snorted. Raven wiped her head around and then he saw that there was actually no ounce of resemblance between the Xavier siblings.

“He is gorgeous!” she called out. Unwrapping herself from Charles, she stood nearly chest to chest with Erik and looked him over. Her tongue clicked and then she gave him a wide, open smile. It was almost strange not to see a half-dozen secrets lurking behind eyes. His life had nearly always been filled with something spy-like.

“His name is Erik,” Erik told her dryly. Raven didn’t even blush, instead he titled her head back and cackled. One of her hands smacked against his chest as she continued on with her laughing spree. Above her head Erik locked eyes with Charles, very nearly begging him to explain, but Charles was just smiling at them.

“You are exactly how Charles describes you,” Raven told him in between her laughter. Erik cracked a small smile.

“Charming.” Charles decided that moment to save him by pulling Raven back and whispering something in her ear that had her chortling again and sliding looks towards Erik. He cleared his throat. “So how do you like it here?” he asked. Raven shrugged her shoulders.

“I am thinking of moving to Florida next or something like that. No, I think I’ll move back to New York. Maybe get a place in the City and just wander about scandalizing the upper crust of society because Charles is never around to,” Raven answered. She stuck her tongue out in Charles’ direction.

“Yes, yes well they can just enjoy themselves on stories of my past and not anything new,” Charles replied. He sent Erik an exasperated look that said he’d tell him all about it later, and Erik couldn’t wait. Though he assumed he would have to get Charles alone to hear most of the details, and by the way that Raven was clinging to him it looked like it would take a while. He didn’t mind it, plus he was just there to pretend he was Charles’ caustic co-worker.

“Oh they do more than that, they make up theories about you. Like what you’re doing, how horrible it is that you’ve allowed me to live off of your wealth when you aren’t around, and they are pretty sure you’ve run off with someone.” She slid a look to Erik. “Which I wouldn’t blame you if you did.” Despite the fact that Raven came off in the beginning of some naïve girl, Erik could see the test right before him. She was looking to see if he would rise to any of the bait she had laid.

Except Erik knew almost everything about Charles, not the stories the upper class would say about him, but more or less everything else. He knew about the money, the childhood, and how he had gotten swept up by the government to be one of their spies instead of a lab rat. There had even been times when he and Charles had laid next to each other, wrapped up in one another and that Charles had whispered about how sometimes he questioned if what all they were doing was right.

Erik got to see Charles’ soul and Charles got the same privilege.

“I am sure they are all so very interesting,” Erik replied.

“Oh do be nice,” Charles chided, but his smile spoke differently. Erik said nothing in reply as he followed the Xavier siblings out. 


	13. You Keep On Talking But It Makes No Sense at All

“Fucking no.” Erik didn’t even sigh from his spot on the couch. Instead he merely picked up his glass and started to sip from it as he waited for Alex to cool down. Everyone else had stayed seated though Hank looked as if he were about to jump out of his skin.

“I only came back for the serum,” Hank mumbled against his own glass. Erik just arched a singular brow. “B-but I will be willing to help out of course.”

“I’m not doing it!” Alex snarled, dragging all the attention back to him. “He fucking left and now expects you to come crawling back?”

“Actually, that wasn’t my intention whatsoever,” Charles spoke up from his corner. Everyone looked at him, and the expression Alex held was one that begged for Charles to say something more just so he could hit him. Erik almost stood up to keep Alex from doing anything; despite it all he’d rather not watch Alex get his ass beat by Charles just defending himself.

“I have already agreed to work with him,” Erik stated. He didn’t mention his stipulation; Alex would just take it upon himself and make it into something he would have to fix. It would become something Alex would do to not only spit in Charles’ eye but also protect Erik. As touching as it was, Erik would rather not be the one who was protected.

“And you want us to sell ourselves over to this asshole? To fucking just go along with all his plans so he can screw us up too?” Alex demanded.

“Hank is already in,” Erik pointed out. “Sean, what are your feelings?” His question got tired eyes blinking at him. He opened his mouth to respond and then closed it tightly. It happened a few more times before he turned to stare at Charles and continue the motions. Maybe it was Charles’ softer expression or maybe the kid had just managed to get a hold of his tongue and start to speak.

“Azazel works for you?” Sean asked and his voice was pitched high in fear. Erik watched as Charles read the emotion quickly, he kept his attention on the two as Charles licked at his lips and prepared to speak. His hands did a sort of spasm before they clutched onto his thighs.

“Yes, but if you’re worried about him, don’t be. I am sure you being part of Erik’s group will save you from most of the heartache,” Charles explained softly. It took him a moment, but Erik had to shake himself, he forced his attention for hanging on every single word Charles said to instead looking at Alex who was still a quivering mass of anger.

“Um, I guess sure then.”  Alex shook harder. Erik was almost certain his wall would have a new hole in it if things progressed any further.

“Great, then all we need is Moira? Is she coming over?” Charles asked. His voice was pulling at Erik beginning for him to look, for him to pay some sort of attention, but he couldn’t ignore Charles—it was an actual question that he would need to answer.

“She said she’d be here in a little bit, I am sure she wants to bite my head off for all the bad things I’ve done,” Erik said blandly.

“What have you done now?”

“Nothing except cavort around with you, and I am under the impression you will soon become more of an enemy than I ever was,” Erik answered. The sigh that Charles expelled amused Erik more than he thought it would, but before he could say anything more the sound of Moira’s car door slamming shut sounded. Pushing from the couch Erik strode out the door and watched as Moira stomped her way towards him.

“What is so important that you basically gave me the 911 feeling?” she demanded. Erik cocked his head back towards his front door.  She followed his motions but then shook her head.

“We have a blast from the past at my place. I also bought a lot of peanut butter just in case,” he answered. She stopped right in front of him, closed her eyes tightly and took a long deep breath.  Lifting her hands up, she brought her fingertips to his cheekbones and pressed them hard against his skin. “Does that make you feel better?” Erik asked.

“Shut up, Lehnsherr, I just,” Moira said, her teeth gritted. “Okay, it’s bad enough that you bought me peanut butter, and it’s a blast from our past? Anymore hints?”

“You’re not going to believe it?” Erik offered up. Her thumbs found their place at the corners of his lips and she leaned forward. He wasn’t too worried that she would kiss him and she didn’t disappoint. Instead Moira pressed her brow against his collar bone and let out a string of irritated grumbles. The door behind him opened slowly. Erik didn’t have to look behind him to know it was Charles who had finally made his way outside and might have been curious to see what they were doing. The more bitter part of him almost wished Moira had kissed him then. “Looks like we get to do this outside,” Erik grumbled. Moira took her hands off of him to peer around his body. The second she caught sight of Charles her body went stiff, whatever noise she was going to make came out strangled like something between a hiss and a yelp. The next thing she did was shove Erik to the side; he went easily and watched as she stalked up to Charles only to give him a punch to the face. There was a bit of a shocked noise from Charles, but he didn’t say anything. Erik supposed maybe he was getting used to being punched.

“Fuck. You.” Moira growled. She rounded on Erik then, her eyes narrowed and her finger jabbing into his chest as she spoke. “This is the secret, the whatever I couldn’t know, wasn’t it? You’ve been spending time with him and you know what? I do want that peanut butter, you’re going to go inside right now and fetch it for me before I rip your head from your shoulders. Understood?” She whirled around again, but she didn’t say anything. Her hands just moved in a flurry of motions and then she was back to facing Erik again. “And tell him even if you forgive him,” she was starting to gasp for air.

“I don’t.” Erik told her honestly.

“Good then, we’re on the same page. Are you going to need a mediator too?”

“No, I should be fine.” He looked over Moira’s head to where Charles stood hand on his face and looking rather morose. “Moira doesn’t forgive you,” he said, yet with every word he felt like he was about to choke them all down. Erik wanted to drag every word back to stop it from digging into Charles like knives.

“I got that one thanks,” Charles snapped. “Offer her your spiel and see if she can swallow it.” Erik itched to tell him to stop before he left, but he couldn’t. What would he say if Charles had stilled there were no words for any of it.  As much as he didn’t want to hurt Charles, he actually did.

“Peanut butter first, and then you can tell me how idiotic you were,” Moira told him. He’d very nearly forgotten she was even there.

“Right, I’ll go get that for you.”

When he got back inside everything was silent, and Alex was watching him like a hawk. Just as he was about to pass him by, Erik stopped. For a moment it was like they were also in the past, the moment before Erik warned Alex that what he was about to do would probably not make Alex’s time any easier, but instead of confusion Erik was fairly certain Alex would hit him this time.

“If you decide to join,” he began, “you’ll find an answer and probably not one you want.”

“An answer to what?” Alex snarled. Erik shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s for you to find out.” He danced out of the way of Alex’s wild swing and into his kitchen. One of the jars of peanut butter had been left on the countertop for the very reason that he had been sure Moira would demand it or at least need a spoonful to keep berating him, or Charles—though that looked less likely with her refusing to speak to him. Erik stared at the jar for a few moments, before he picked it up and nearly ran into Charles. His eyes were sad, and Erik very nearly opened his mouth to speak, yet Charles cut him off with dragging him down and kissing him hard. He pulled back just as quickly leaving Erik to feel somewhere in limbo.

“I’m angry because no one is willing to take a moment to fucking listen to me or see what it was like from my point of view. But I still love you Erik,” he told him. Erik was almost about to parrot the ‘I love you’ right back before he caught himself. Clearing his throat, he looked away from Charles.

“I love you, and that’s why I am this angry. If it was anyone else? I would’ve made them jump through a half-dozen hoops and then called it good, but this,” Erik paused, “it isn’t the same.”  Charles tilted his head down like he was actually sorry, but the move just burned a fire low in Erik’s gut.

“I know.”

“Then leave it for now,” he growled. He couldn’t get out of the kitchen faster, but on his way out Alex stopped him. A glare on his face—not like that was rare—and his arms folded.

“I’ll do it,” he grumbled. Erik let out an exasperated noise.

“Good, great. We’ll all pile out and go on a road trip very soon.” Erik clapped him on the shoulder.

“Good luck with Moira, asshole.” Erik waved him off.

When he stepped back outside, Moira was waiting for him with her back to the door. Yet she was ever so ready to take the spoon and peanut butter handed to her the moment he stretched his arms out to do so. She dug her spoon deeply into the jar and then pulled a chunk out before popping it into her mouth. She made an abrupt motion with her hand for him to begin.

“Charles is under the impression that we were burned for the same reason, and that they had more proof that he knew and less that I did. So they tossed him out and kept me in to see if I would show them what they wanted to know. When that didn’t pan out, well, they got rid of me as well.” Moira pointed to herself. “He couldn’t see you because he was fairly certain that they would watch you for that very reason.” She made a face. “His excuses, not mine. Now, since I am out of the woods temporarily, he wants to team up so we can find out who burned us. Says we’ve always been better together.”

“You are,” Moira agreed. “Sometimes when, when you two weren’t working together Charles had complained about how much quicker something would be with you or entertain me with tales of your escapades. Silly things like that.” Erik tried to find words, but when he stalled for another few moments he shook his head and moved on.

“So are you going to join in or not?”

“Yes. Mostly because I want to see this through, I want to show Charles that he was an idiot to not trust me, and because I have kind of grown fond of you,” Moira told him.

“Really?”

“Yes, now can we not talk about it? The whole idea of us being close friends still makes me feel dirty.”

“Feeling is mutual there,” Erik replied.

“So I am in, which means I get to go to his secret club house?”

“And meet Azazel again.”

“Tell me you are kidding,” Moira pleaded. She jammed another spoonful in her mouth and looked at him imploringly. Erik snorted.

“I am not, and I laid him out for what he did. Apparently he wasn’t only testing me but Charles too, so he didn’t even bat an eye when I did that, and then there is Jean, a man named Darwin, and Scott Fucking Summers,” Erik enlightened her. Moira sputtered, her eyes wide and her mouth nearly hanging open.

“You tacked on Summers for a reason, right, and you mean Alex Summers is related to him and he is probably the reason that that kid has such a massive chip on his shoulder?”

“That’s the only thing I can think of.”

“He might just be a bigger asshole than Charles on the disappearance front.”

“You think?”  Erik snorted. Moira let out a low growl, her head rested on his shoulder and he could feel as she started to dig for more peanut butter. She dropped her hand and despite Erik knew full well she could put a major dent in any jar, she just held it in her hands.

“Are you going to?” she asked. He worked through her question, the implications and the weight it carried.

“We’ll see,” he answered. She made no other comment as they stood next to one another, her head still on his shoulder. Minutes ticked by, counting down to when someone would lose their patience and look for them. Eventually Erik stepped back and turned back to the door. It had felt like someone had kept an eye on him, but with Charles’ presence maybe he was looking for Charles to watch for him. He was the first to enter the loft, and all eyes were all on him. Though for Alex, Hank, and Sean it was more of them trying to gauge if Moira had agreed or not. Charles on the other hand looked like he’d been shattered. Erik wanted to walk up to him, to wrap his arms around him and tell him it would all be fixed. The inside of his cheek would be bloody by the time it was all over, from his teeth.

“Are we going?” he asked Charles. It was those blue eyes that killed him, that ripped whatever was left of him to shreds, but Charles nodded. He still managed to look wounded about something, but he very nearly ran outside. Erik cleared his throat. “Okay split up, a couple of you go with me and a couple with Moira.” He leaned close to Moira. “He’ll probably be riding with me.”

“Alright, do you want me to force Alex in the car with me? Or else you’ll deal with a lot of glaring and maybe snide comments,” Moira pointed out.

“Let him.”

“What?”

“Let him choose to do whatever he wants. He’s going to get a shock when he arrives at Charles’ place. Might as well give him some semblance of control.”

“You’re getting better at this,” Moira told him. Erik looked on past his front door and to where Charles was leaning against the Avenger.

“I had to.”

 

*

 

Everyone had piled into Moira’s car. The one reason Sean had given is that he didn’t want to be stuck in the car with that fighting couple. Neither one of them corrected him. Instead Charles had settled in the passenger seat quietly and had refrained from talking to him for the first ten minutes until he let out a puff of air and just looked at Erik.

“I hope this doesn’t turn out to bite me in the ass.”

“The size of the group or us working together?” Erik asked.

“Group size. I’d never doubt you Erik.”

“Except for when you’re in trouble.” It was a low blow and they both knew it. Instead of replying initially, Charles just laughed. It was a bitter and jagged laugh, like glass and Erik took his eyes off the road just to look at him.

“This is going to be never ending, isn’t it? You’re going to bring it up over and over again to remind me of all my sins in your eyes?” Charles sounded a little shrill, and Erik hated himself for feeling bad about the whole thing. Stretching out a hand, he wrapped his fingers around Charles’ and gave a small squeeze. He wasn’t going to apologize, and they both knew it. Instead Charles held tightly onto Erik’s hand like it was his last life line.

 

*

 

It goes down almost exactly how Erik thought it would. Most of them acted a little curious about the others, almost as if they were seeing the new kids who moved into the neighborhood for the first time, while the two who had been at it longer just surveyed, unimpressed. When Moira locked eyes with Azazel she strode over to him and jabbed her finger into his chest while whispering harshly.  Erik really didn’t want to know what she was saying to him, so he turned his attention directly to where the real show was.

Alex stumbled in and then just stopped. He sent a single glance towards Erik, acknowledgement for either warning him or anger from not telling him completely what he was going to find, before he nearly ran forward. His fist slammed into Scott’s face and Erik had to smile at that. A roar of rage ripped across the room and then the brothers became a mess of flailing limbs and angry shouts.

“Can I say thank you for only one punch when we met again?” Charles whispered in his ear. Erik’s grin widened. He leaned back towards Charles.

“As you can see you kind of got off easy,” he nearly purred. The returning smile was almost worth listening to the scuffling of the two brothers. “I think it’s time we’ve pulled them apart.” Charles hummed in agreement.

Once he got his arms around Alex’s middle, Erik hauled him up and back, wrenching him from whatever hold his brother had. Alex made one motion to try to smack Erik in the face with his elbow, but he stopped a bare few inches away from his face and let out a shuddering breath. One of his hands gripped at the cloth Erik was wearing and twisted it around his fingers like an anchor before he arched forward and screamed at Scott.

“This is where you’ve been you fucking asshole? All this fucking time you’ve been here and what, just fucking around with spy shit?” Alex raged. The fact that he didn’t demand Erik let go of him spoke in louder volumes than what he was yelling at his brother. “Just fuck you! I wish you had wound up dead and that was the reason you’d never come back.” Alex twisted closer towards Erik and when he pulled away it wasn’t a harsh jerking movement.

“Sean, take him outside so he can cool down,” Erik commanded. The red head scrambled to do exactly was what ordered. He had an arm around Alex and swept him out of the room as quickly as he could.

Silence descended upon the room with all eyes on Erik and Charles. Scott glared at them for a few beats before he turned heel and stormed away. No one else made a comment about him leaving. Instead they all kept their sights on them. Erik stepped forward, and Charles made no movement to join him—allowing him the appearance of leadership.

“How about you all play nice and figure out what all you can do, and don’t let the Summers boys alone,” Erik warned.

“Aye, aye Captain,” Moira replied. She stuck her hand out into the middle of the group. “Moira MacTaggert, ex-CIA and ex-Other Things. I like peanut butter—just in case you ever need to get on my good side—and if you really want to test me I will floor you in less than five seconds.”

“I like you,” Azazel said appraisingly.

“And I have been looking for a reason to kick your ass,” Moira purred.

“Pretend to at least play nice,” Erik called out to her, though he couldn’t help but want to see Moira take the Russian man down. The look Moira gave him at the comment read quite easily that she would play nice if he did. Erik’s smile turned tight and her expression fell.

“You two have gotten _close_ ,” Charles commented. Turning his head, Erik arched his brow upwards a little.

“What did you expect? You did basically match us up,” he replied.

“Right, shall we go look into a few more options?” Charles asked. Erik hummed a yes, yet right before they left the doors swung open. Alex was red faced and was dragging Sean behind him. The entire group scattered, making way for him all whilst he barreled through, and Erik just watched. “Do you think we should?” Charles jerked his thumb in the direction that Alex went—the very same direction Scott had gone earlier. Waiting a few beats, Erik frowned at the retreating back before he shook his head.

“We don’t have time to babysit them. Moira, could you?” He motioned towards the opening.

“You’re an asshole,” Moira snapped. Charles just arched his brow upwards and a smile curled at the edges of his lips.

“Is delegating something new you do now?”

“No, but Moira always told me I didn’t have to do things by myself.” Charles snorted, and he slid a hand between Erik’s body and arm and hooked it.

“Well then, I’ll show you my main office. Sound like a good deal?” Charles asked. Erik made no responding comment and instead just hummed in what sounded like an agreeable notion before Charles lead him away down an opposing hallway. It looked much like every other hallway, nothing to make it discernible between any other one. Not even as they got closer to Charles’ office did it give way to anything else. A lot of people had that particular problem. Their wealth and wanting to feel important eventually spilled out a ways before a person actually got to the main room. It was often helpful to make sure he was on the right track when they did.

“I see you remember the Michigan Job,” Erik commented. Charles laughed.

“How could I not? Everything looked exactly the same except for that one damn vase, and then on a whim I just kept following it while you kept the guards distracted and were bitching in my ear,” Charles replied.

“Of course I was yelling at you, you spent ten extra minutes that we didn’t have just looking for a way to make sure it was the office.”

“I seem to recall that the floor plans that you nicked being completely unreliable.”

“And I remember you saying that they were completely authentic and that _your_ source was someone that could be trusted.”

“So, fifty-fifty on the blame?”

“Sixty-forty.”

“With you having the sixty?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Oh, please Erik.” Charles pushed his door open to reveal a room filled with all the things he could ever dream to get a hold of once he was cut off. It made sense to be where Emma could’ve gotten all the nice tools. Erik pulled away from Charles to run his fingers across some of the equipment. Memories of using them, of them being sometimes the only thing that kept him from death, sent a shiver through him. It also dragged him kicking and screaming from the easy comradery with Charles. He closed his eyes and let out a shaken breath.

“Let’s get this over with,” Erik’s voice was gruff and when he glanced back over to Charles he saw that Charles had caught every moment of the shift. Yet instead of the hurt puppy look, the expression Charles held was one of grim acceptance. “Show me what you can.”

 

 

*

 

By the time everything was settled there were a few _house rules_. Alex and Scott weren’t allowed in the same room alone and if either one of them started something they had to do the chores for a week. There was also a rule about privacy and not hacking into others personal files. However, there also seemed to be an unspoken rule that when Erik and Charles went at it everyone scattered. Not even Moira would stay around for long, and Azazel had a strange knack with leaving before anything really blew up, until eventually everyone watched Azazel to see when he would saunter out of the room.

Erik was sure he should be concerned with it but he was too busy trying to get a point across that they had perfectly acceptable contacts that Alex could retrieve, while Charles was so assured that his person would be the best. There were many times—almost scarily how many there really were—where all Erik wanted to do was throttle Charles to the point where his chest was very close to bursting from the anger.

So of course instead he screamed.

Charles always set him off; to the point Erik was almost shocked he still had any voice left. His hands were red from slamming against the desk that they were both hunched and snarling at each other over. However, he was also surprised that Charles had a voice either, with his face red to the point his lips didn’t seem to stand out as much as they used to.

Erik still found him devastatingly attractive.

“Can we please stop fighting about this? I am sure Alex is great, but he switches up dealers like people switch pieces of gum! I know this person and he knows my team.”

“Who is he?” Erik growled out.

“And he trusts me and won’t screw me over, I think it’s because he’s a little wary of me to be honest. My underground personality is even scarier than the one I had before, if you can imagine that.”

“Who. Is. He?” Erik gritted out again. Charles locked eyes with him, and Erik could see him steel himself. He watched as the each piece of armor was put back into place. He was going to hate whatever the answer was.

“Most people call him Wolverine.”

“No.”

“Erik, you only know the rumors!”

“And they aren’t true even a little bit?”

“Not completely! Please just trust me on this,” Charles demanded.

“I’ve already trusted you on a lot Charles, or did your selective memory blot that out too?” Erik snapped.

“If this is a bust, then we can go to whoever Alex gets us.”

“Assuming we survive the mistake.”

“I have faith in you.” Erik gritted his teeth. He turned away from the desk and strode back and forth across the room.  Every inch of him was screaming how the idea wasn’t completely sound, not with the information he had, but—Erik paused—that didn’t mean it was all that it seemed.

“What ace do you have?” he demanded. Charles watched him warily like he was some sort of animal in a cage, he couldn’t really blame him.

“Well,” he paused, “it could be an ace or it could hinder us a little.”

“What is it?”

“Scott may or may not be dating him.”

Erik paused, he wasn’t sure if that was an ace or a pain. With what little he knew of Scott it could be either or. However, he only knew about Wolverine from the rumor mill and not from actual interactions. Letting out a sigh, Erik gave a brief short nod.

“Fine. When are we going?” Charles paused, his mouth slightly open, and he shifted his gaze away from Erik.

“I’m not going?”

“I don’t think he’d trust you, in all honesty, Erik. He’s used to dealing with Scott for the most part or Darwin if they’re officially not together,” Charles tried to reason. “I don’t really even go unless I have to.”

“Are you going this time?” Another pause. Erik clenched his fist tightly, and breathed hard through his nose.

“Then I am going,” he gritted out.

“Erik, you’re being unreasonable!”

 

*

 

“Unreasonable in the way that you’re about to say yes or in the way where you are going to try to pout me into submission?” Erik asked as he flipped through a few magazines. He was looking for something to read whilst Charles worked his charm on some unsuspecting doctor whom may or may not be cavorting with enemies with the nation, which would make him less unsuspecting—but Erik really couldn’t see the man swatting a fly much less plotting the nation’s demise.

“I do not pout!” Charles cried out, scandalized.

“Really? Because I find that all that,” he gestured vaguely towards Charles’ face, his bottom lip was jutted out a little and his shoulders had sloped downwards, “is pretty much pouting.”

“You are horrible,” Charles grumbled, but the smile he was trying to keep down said otherwise. Erik leaned closer to him, a new magazine in his hand.

“Now, tell me I’m being unreasonable again,” Erik whispered against his ear. Charles shivered against him but before much could come of it he pushed Erik away.

“We’ll talk about that later, enjoy your magazine.” Then Charles was off to charm everyone in a 100 mile radius—Erik not included because he was pretty sure after he’d become rather immune to most of Charles’ charm.

It only took Charles two hours before he swept back into the main lobby, on the outside he looked happy, but Erik could see that pull of Charles’ expression. Whatever he had learned it wasn’t what he wanted, which meant that Simon wasn’t just a bumbling doctor who appeared to be involved in darker dealings. Erik stood up without another word.

Charles didn’t talk until they were in the car and Erik was driving to the meet place.

“Damage?” he asked.

“Near critical. He knows everything, but he isn’t the source.”

“Did you find out who it is?”

“Not exactly, but if they want to keep us on the case we’ll have to go play with a cooperation.”

“How big?”

“We’ll let the agency worry about that.”

 

*

Charles stalked through the door, not even pausing to hold it open like had been his habit. Catching the handle as it swung back against him, Erik’s smile was cold and hard like ice as he stepped through. The place was a mess, but even Erik could see the mess was cultivated to hide most of what the shop was actually there for.

“Chuck,” a man greeted loudly. His hair was wild, but it seemed that it had been styled with that intention. “That fucker Scott send you? Or are you actually here for business?”

“The latter, and Logan this is my new colleague Erik. He’s more hands on.” Logan looked him over and Erik just barely held back the sneer in response. Except it seemed like Logan got the gist of his feels if the way he didn’t hide his sneer. Though there was no scolding from Charles, instead he seemed to completely ignore the expression before he launched into why they were there, “We need supplies. The usual plus about four extra for our _new members_ , also we’ll need you to get into contact with Frost again have her on the look-out for any men on this list.” Erik startled at the information on the list. His jaw tightened and the look Logan sent him over Charles’ shoulder just tightened him even further. Fingers tighten and curl inwards until his nails dug into his palms. The pain grounded him from lashing out, from giving Logan a show or even Charles.

“I’ll be waiting in the car,” he gritted out. Charles had the audacity to look surprised at the response.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“We’ll talk of it later.”

“Sounds like your newbie ain’t so professional Chuck,” Logan commented right before Erik left. He didn’t hear what Charles said in response, but he’d rather not. If there even was a response other than a noise of agreement. The fact was that Erik couldn’t quite disagree he wasn’t professional, not right then. Pulling his cellphone out of his pocket he leaned against his car.

“Yes?”

“Get Alex to go through his own sources, get us gadgets and weaponry we’re comfortable with. Alex will know my specifications so just give him yours,” Erik launched into the command. Moira didn’t even hesitate.

“All right I’ll let him know. I am guessing you don’t like the _Wolverine_?”

“No.”

“Any particular reason why?”

“His affiliation was obvious and he wasn’t receptive to getting any more allies.”

“That would get your panties in a bunch. Okay. Are you guys going to come back soon?”

“I’m taking him for a drive.” Moira hesitated then, he listened as she sucked in a breath.

“I’m not going to ask what he did, but don’t fuck yourself over. You allied us to this group, killing their leader won’t do any of us favors.”

“I’m not going to kill him, he just kept a few bits of information from me. We’re going to have a conversation about our _trust issues_.” Moira laughed.

“To be honest, I don’t think you should be throwing stones here Erik.” Erik didn’t respond to that particular comment, instead he told Moira goodbye and waited. Charles took another twenty minutes before he stepped out of the shop and looked just as irritated as he had before they entered.

“You,” he pointed his finger at Erik, “are acting like a child! First you demand to come with me and then you storm out the second it doesn’t go the way you want it to! But you know what, please inform me what made you storm out of there like some sort of sulking teenager?”

“The list.”

“The list?” Charles went quiet for a few moments, but then he reached a hand up and pulled at the strands of his hair like he was about to rip them from his skull. “You know what if you want that list Erik then please tell me what you’ve done with Cerebro. That chunk we’re missing I know you took it out, you practically laid it out for me. No one else gets it, but you did that for a reason,” Charles demanded.

“No. Cerebro stays with my team until we are fully part of your team,” Erik growled.

“You already are! You’re part of my team, congratulations! Now give me the damn information so we can finish this! You’ve been holding out and I’ve let you.”

“You’ve _let_ me?”

“Yes! I have because, because I wanted to give you space. I wanted to give you some control that you seemed to want so badly, but I am done with this. When we get back you will give me Cerebro.” Erik titled his head back and let out a loud harsh laugh.

“Ordering me around? Charles I am _not_ one of your subordinates.”

“You. Are. A. Stubborn. ASS!” Charles screamed. The door behind them jingled as it opened. They both turned ready to give whoever walked onto the street an unwarranted tongue lashing. Except it was Logan and he was looking far too amused for Erik’s taste.

“It’s great you ladies are getting your issues out and in the open, but could you not fucking do it in front of my shop? Because I would like some of that legit business shit that happens when there aren’t two queens screaming at each other for being all secretive. Plus you both suck as secret agents, just sayin’.” With that Logan stepped back into his shop and Erik had had enough. He slid into his front seat and Charles joined him in the passenger seat.

“This isn’t over,” Charles muttered.

“No, no it fucking isn’t,” Erik agreed. 


	14. I Know You're Fine, But What Do I Do?

Erik sat on the couch, his foot jittering as he waited for Charles to finish with his call. Emma had called during one of their many _debates_ , and Charles had taken the call without hesitation. Not that Erik blamed him, they had been waiting on her to search around as their third party, yet the entire thing was taking longer than any normal update.

“I think I’m shocked,” Alex commented. He settled down next to Erik a piece of pizza in his hand—most likely courtesy of Sean. “Or something. Anyway, Moira told me to give this to you.” He handed over the piece of pizza. “Said you probably haven’t eaten and that you need something else to do with your mouth than yell at people.”

“One person in particular.”

“Yeah. Well, he brought a whole fuck ton of problems on our heads and other shit,” Alex grumbled. Erik devoured the food, unaware of how starved he’d been as he did. It settled well in his stomach as he leaned back and closed his eyes. “Also Raven wants to come down.”

“Azazel’s here.”

“I told her and she didn’t care. She wants to help _you_ out.”

“Tell her that when I get enough information we’ll go out and help the cause,” Erik told him.

“I’m not your messenger boy, Erik,” Alex grumbled.

“You’re going to do it anyways aren’t you?” Erik asked with a smirk on his lips. Alex huffed.

“Probably, yeah. Oh, Hank is looking for you. One of Charles’ goons has been asking him about how well he can work a computer, I think they’re trying to find out for their jackass of a boss who has it,” Alex warned. Erik smiled low and rather pleased with himself.

“You do very well at this job, Alex.”

“Fuck you.”

“No, think on this, you’ll be able to run your own crew eventually,” Erik reasoned dryly.

“What, you getting out of the business any time soon?” Alex challenged. Before Erik could respond the door open and Charles stepped through.

“We’ve got a location,” he said. Erik turned back to Alex.

“Bring Raven,” he whispered. Alex said nothing, he just nodded before he rushed off, and Erik just hoped he didn’t run into Scott while he was on his way through the building. Yet when he gazed back at Charles he noted a funny expression on the man’s face.

“You want to tell me about it?”

“I am not sure, you seem to be holding your own council.” Charles eyed him.

“And you’re not?” Erik growled. He push himself from the couch to stalk over towards his ex. “Because let’s not pretend that you took that call away from me because there was too much noise where we were.” Charles held up a hand.

“I understand, I just. I needed time to think and talk to someone who doesn’t yell at me and look at me like I’ve done nothing but hurt them. It’s tiring trying to appease you all the time,” Charles replied.

“This,” Erik gestured all around them, “is you trying to appease me? This is you trying to go back to normal; this is you trying to make everything better with what you knew of me.” Charles let out a growl.

“I,” he let out a breath, “okay fine, you’re completely right and I am completely wrong.”

“That’s not,” Erik started to say, but he stopped with a shake of his head. “No, let’s just _discuss_ our options.”

“Right. There’s a building and there’s a list,” Charles told him.

“Isn’t there always?” That slowly pulled a small, weak smile from Charles.

“Most of the time, yes, that seems like it was our job, or connecting someone to a secure system so they could dismantle it,” Charles agreed.

“So the company?”

“It’s a small one, which is probably why they feel safer hosting more of their more intimate details about their party there. We have to make sure every player will be there, but that also means we need figure out which one has access to it.”

“And who has the quickest access at that.”

“Yes and then we’ll go in. I thought the two of us could.”

“Makes sense.”

“No argument?” Erik looked at him for a few moments, and he could think of all the arguments he could use or that even Charles could think of.

“You are right, when we work as a team we always do better. We’ll do the mission, let’s see if we can still work together,” he agreed. The smile Charles held was far more than the weak twinge he had given before. It was bright and relieved.

Of course Erik didn’t mention that he was going to scout the building, however, that hadn’t been in their agreement. He and Charles would do the mission and nothing more. After a few more moments of discussion he managed to gleam a few more bits of information before he excused himself. If Charles realized what he was doing he didn’t show it. Instead he went on back to his office to do whatever he was going to plot. Maybe he was also planning to gather the specs of the building. Raven and Alex met him once he left, Raven looking around the room giddily like some beginning, though Erik couldn’t fault her—she’d never had the training.

“Glad to see you’re here,” he greeted.

“I actually thought for a few moments that you weren’t going to make good on your promise,” Raven replied. She stepped forward until she was nearly pressed against him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. He patted her hair, his fingers stroking through the strands slowly.

“We’re going to go get Moira and then we’ll be off,” he told her. Raven blinked her eyes, just a couple of times and he could see the question on her lips even before she opened her mouth to say anything. “Moira is coming because we need a two to one ratio for people who are new and people who know what they’re doing.”

“Oh, so what are we doing?” she asked.

“Not here. Alex, could you?” Erik motioned towards the other room. He had no idea where Moira was, but Alex would. The look Alex sent him was irritated, but he turned right around and made his way to go after Moira. It didn’t take long before Moira appeared with all of her things to her side.

“I got a few strange looks when I waltzed out, but they know better than to question me, and did you get the message that Hank—” Moira began. Erik waved her off.

“I know he needs to speak with me. Take Raven out to the car. I will talk to him and we’ll get everything settled.”

“You know we’re supposed to be working with these people,” Moira pointed out. Erik shook his head. He wasn’t about to defend or crucify himself—the fact was they were supposed to work like a team, but none of them actually acted like they even wanted to play nice. Which he supposed wasn’t helped by his and Charles’ strained interactions.

The first area Erik checked was where they kept the bulk of the computers. Hank often found his way there even when it was full of Charles’ people, though he seemed to have a decent companionship at times with Jean and Scott, who didn’t seem to bother him too much. However, Erik still felt uneasy when Hank was alone with anyone of Charles’ group. As he moved forward, he supposed his paranoia wasn’t completely warranted since Hank had alerted someone the second they started to nose in on him.

Erik found Hank right where he thought he would, but he also found Scott hanging about watching Hank like a hawk. Reaching forward he slid an arm around Hank, but he made no move to take him out of the room. Erik didn’t want Scott to go running off to Charles crying about secrets and plots.

“Problem?”

“They know it’s me—well they don’t know- _know_ , but enough to gather that I was probably the one who did it. Though I don’t think they are so sure it wasn’t just you acting like a lone wolf.”

“Glad to see that works in my favor,” Erik mumbled. He rubbed a hand along his jaw, if it was anyone else—with both Hank and Charles—Erik would have no qualms sending Hank to tell Charles that he had the information and play him. Except he couldn’t do that to Charles and Hank would be terrible at the acting. He was far too twitchy. “Just keep playing it off and if they do ask you to give them Cerebro or hack into my system…” Erik trailed off.

“Tell them the truth that I don’t have it and I’m terrified of you?” Hank suggested.

“Exactly.” He patted Hank on the back.

 

*

“I think I find it amusing that you run off with the two women who connect you to Charles the most,” Moira commented as she devoured her wrap. They had stopped for food to make the time go by faster. Erik knew very well how the first time watching a building went. When he had done it, he’d nearly tripped an alarm just to get some action.

“Raven wanted to be a part of something and I trust you most,” Erik answered.

“That’s sad.”

“I am well aware of that.”

“Really, because I don’t know if you do.” Moira leaned close to him. She pulled down her sunglasses so they rested against her nostrils and just looked at him for a few moments. Erik gritted his teeth.

“I just need to survive this mission,” Erik told her.

“And the serious talk you two need after that, right?”

“Moira…”

“I wish I could say I was surprised, Erik, but I’m not.” Moira left it at that, but just as she left his side Raven came to it, her eyes filled with questions.

“I thought, I thought since you were around him that you forgave him,” Raven whispered.

“Did you?”

“Not yet.” The answer knocked a bit of air out of him. Of course with Raven it was not yet. Eventually she’d let Charles back into her heart, and she would love her brother because that was the type of siblings they were. Erik cleared his throat. He felt terrible for a few moments before he knocked his knuckles against the top of the Avenger.

“We’re going back. I know this place already,” he spoke with a thickness in this throat. Moira said nothing and Raven just watched him. The drove all the way back in mostly silence except from whatever noise was coming from the station Raven had chosen, but they had kept it so low that Erik could only catch a few beats. He wondered if Charles had even noticed his absence, yet as he pulled into the lot and saw that Charles was standing out there, arms folded over his chest, Erik knew he never should’ve questioned it.

He stood outside as Moira ushered Raven into the building and waited it out. If they were to have another shouting match it would be outside. Charles wasn’t visibly shaking yet, but Erik was rather sure it was all only for a few moments before that would indeed be the case.

“Where did you go?” Charles asked conversationally.

“To see the building,” Erik answered.

“And I see you didn’t let anyone else know.”

“I told Moira.”

“Of course _Moira_.”

“And I came back after awhile.”

“Did you at least get what you were looking for?” Charles asked.

“Yes, I know the building. I’m definitely going in.”

“Did you think after that, I would still let you in on the mission?”

“You’re not my babysitter and you don’t control me, Charles. I left for little over an hour, and I didn’t dampen your precious mission one bit.”

“You are a selfish prat, you know that?”

“That makes two of us.” Erik waited for another word. He waited for the moment that Charles either snarled at him or agreed. Though he wouldn’t know what to do if Charles agreed, yet like Charles always did—he surprised Erik. He said nothing and just walked back inside.

 

*

 

They were silent as they both suited up. Erik kept staring at his boots as he threaded the laces through. Something was on the tip of his tongue whether it was an apology or not, Erik didn’t get a chance to act upon it. Charles placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze before he brushed his lips against Erik’s cheek bone. Shock stilled him more than anything and ~~a~~ warmth filled his stomach.

“Good luck. I’ll be right in your ear,” Charles tapped his own, and Erik just stood without reacting for a few moments.

“We’ll both need it,” he admitted gruffly. Charles hummed, and it actually felt nice not to be on edge and rage at him. Still there was a part of him that waited for the moment it all slipped through his fingers. It felt like he was walking into a memory.

Erik followed slowly after Charles, his eyes caught on the expressions of everyone else around him. They were all waiting for the moment as well. He shook his head and pushed forward so that he walked next to Charles instead of trailing behind him like some simpleton. Eventually they stop as Charles leaned next to Jean, whispered something in her ear to which she only gave a brief short nod in agreement. The action prickled at Erik’s skin, and pulled him away from the almost lulling sensation of going back into a mission with Charles. He clung to the discomfort. It wouldn’t do for him to get comfortable.

Once they broke away from the main group, Erik grabbed Charles by the elbow and pulled him closer. Charles went without any hesitation, he merely turned and faced Erik before he quirked his brow upwards. “Secrets?” he asked.

“Only orders. Safety nets if we go over our time limit,” Charles replied.

“Think we will?” He arched a brow.

“No, but always be prepared.” Erik nearly snorted when Charles held up three fingers and smiled like a kid.

“I doubt you were ever a scout,” he commented. Charles just laughed. Their silence turned into something more like comradery.

 “I doubt you were ever a scout,” he commented. Charles just laughed. Their silence turned into something more like comradery.  Erik didn’t allow the feeling to last, silently quashing it.  There was no room for sentiment in their line of work, least of all before a mission. He’d learned that lesson the hard way.

He didn’t want a repeat. Especially not with Charles.

 

*

 

“There’s an entry way in about three feet,” Charles whispered. He was already echoing in Erik’s ear piece as he set up his own little portable system. Erik didn’t have to ask if he was still staying on the roof, the positioning was obvious enough. Instead he made his way towards his entry point and just paused long enough to survey it all. It wouldn’t be hard to slip in. He took a deep breath before he pulled the cover off and slipped in. “I was wondering if you were just staring at it in admiration,” Charles joked.

“It’s a fairly nice entry. Better than what we’ve had before,” Erik replied.

“Hmmm, but not as nice as that time in New York, right?” Charles’ voice springs up memories, of a less-than-ideal opening right above a puddle of vomit and a man who smelled like too much whiskey. Erik very nearly shuddered at the memory.

“No, nothing ~~is~~ as nice as that.” He slipped down through the roof, his muscles quivered as he pressed his hands against the walls to hold his weight. In his ear, he could hear Charles breathing.

“Easy does it.” His shoulders burned as he eased down. One of his shoes slipped from its hold. His heart leapt into his throat—nearly choking him. Erik sucked in another breath as he quickly planted the foot and caught himself. “Still alive?” Charles asked.

“Just barely. When I drop down which way?” he asked.

“East.”

“Thank you.” Erik continued his slow decent until he was able to drop down. His knees ached a little as he made his way through the room. Charles’ commentary continued though, even as he made his way silently through the hall. He nearly stuttered to a stop as he managed to press against a wall. “Charles,” he whispered, “either shut up or tell me how many.” At first only a laugh greeted him.

“I would’ve let you know if you were coming up on anyone,” Charles told him.

“Of course you would,” Erik grumbled. As he moved down the second hall, he felt the tension release along his shoulders, but not completely. Acting completely comfortable whilst on a mission was one very easy way to sing a death warrant. “How much further?”

“There’s going to be some stairs.”

“How many?”

“A couple flights at most. For once this isn’t a top office job.”

“Of course it isn’t. That would be easy.”

“Don’t get too testy, it shouldn’t take you too long to get there.”

“At least this building is small.”

“Yes, at least it’s not like Moscow.”

“Don’t remind me of that place, sometimes I remember those halls and I can’t get warm.”

“I have the same problem,” Charles commented. Erik smiled slowly.

“How close?” he asked again.

“Once you get down those stairs it’ll be the third office on your left.” Erik took the stairs three at a time, his long legs eating up the distance before he kneeled down by the door. He slipped the lock pick from a pocket—the metal felt like it suited his hands—and began his work. “Strange.” Charles murmured.

“What?” Erik asked.

“There is no one here. It’s. It’s all set up,” Charles whispered. Erik could hear the horror creeping in his voice. “Erik, get out.”

“You didn’t notice this before?” Erik gritted out.

“I was only looking at the floors that you had to go through. Get out. Now.”

“No.”

“Erik!” Charles sounded desperate.

“I need to find out who set it all up. Isn’t this the mission that would help us do that?” Erik reasoned. The door before him clicked open, it creaked as it swung and Erik stepped into the office. No one was waiting for him, just a single computer illuminating the darkened room.

“I’m coming after you,” Charles hissed.

“It wouldn’t do for both of us to die.”

“Shut up.” In his ear he heard the sounds of clothing shifting and of equipment being snapped shut. “You’re infuriating.”

“You’re the one going down with me.”

“I’m not letting you die for a list or whatever it is.”

“Someone will have to send out the information.” Charles’ laugh was bitter.

“I’ll do it from something more portable. Just stay where you are.” Erik couldn’t think of any argument to have about it. Charles had made up his mind. However, he did step further into the office. Nothing changed. Slowly, he made his way through out the room—poking and prodding at what he could—before he settled down in the rolling chair and waited. It only took Charles another ten minutes to get to the office. “You waited.”

“Couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Either you’d be here for the show or you wouldn’t be. You’re being very stupid, Charles.”

“You’re the moron who won’t leave,” Charles snapped. Leaning over Erik, he pushed in the USB cord and began download. His attention was on the small screen in his hand, so only Erik noted when the entire thing went black and then lit up again. When it did there was a man’s face; only one that he vaguely remembered.

“I expected you two to come. I didn’t know when or where, but a little bird told me that you were back, Charles,” the man greeted. “As a last ditch effort I burned Erik. I always felt like you were still alive, and the only person who you would slip up for would be him.”

“William Stryker,” Charles whispered. “This makes no sense. He, he died three weeks ago.”

“How?” Erik asked.

“Cancer of a sort.”

“I knew you would be too dangerous. The both of you. Especially with Cerebro in your hands. You know what it does by now, don’t you?” Erik listened as Charles swallowed hard. “It has every bit of information conceivable regarding anyone of your type of… _profession_.”

“Did you know?” Erik asked.

“I had a theory, but I could never prove it because we never had a fully operable Cerebro.” Erik nearly apologized for keeping it all away, except something else came out instead.

“This feels a little like a Bond villain doesn’t it?” he asked. Charles was quiet for a few moments before he let out a rush of air. His hands shook as they traced along Erik’s shoulders.

“It does.”

“Which means…”

“Bomb.” Erik watched as Charles dropped to his knees, and stretched his arms out.

“I’ve already checked the room. There is nothing in here unless it’s the computer,” Erik explained.

“And how do you suspect this works?” Charles demanded. He pushed up from his feet, yet he wobbled back as he overbalanced himself. Erik immediately shot a hand out to grab onto Charles’ arm only to find his reaction time sluggish.

“Unless it’s not a bomb and instead he’s using a gas,” Erik mused. His fingers trembled a little as if his body was just agreeing with him. Charles let out a string of curses under his breath as he tried to balance against Erik’s chair.

“And as I am sure you two have a team, when they come to retrieve the information you two _died_ to collect they will find a surprise,” Stryker gloated.

“I believe I am offended that he think’s we’ll die this way,” Charles gritted out. Erik just snorted. As he became more hyperaware of his body he could tell his breathing was a bit off and that getting out of the chair would be difficult. He glanced towards the windows; they would be able to be opened but he definitely didn’t have the strength to do it and Charles was weakening by the minute as well.

“If we’re going to drop, then you’re going to have to get it set up, and now,” Erik stated. Softly, Charles muttered a curse, but he said nothing else as he began to pull things out of the pack. His hands trembled, and Erik could see exactly how much of a struggle it was to get most of the tools out. “Any slower and there will be two dead bodies instead of one.”

“Shut up!” Charles hissed. He staggered over to the window and then dropped everything unceremoniously to the ground. “We’re not dying just because some asshole thought he could take us out after he died. We’ll make sure that the info doesn’t crash our systems and then we’ll find out what he doesn’t want us to know.”

“Such hope.”

“I am not losing you again.” Erik laughed.

“You’re the one who _died_.”

“I still lost you, not in the same sense, but I lost you nonetheless,” Charles argued, near breathless. Shoving himself from the chair, Erik stumbled towards him—his feet felt like they were no longer his. His shoulder slammed into the wall as he lurched forward.

“Here,” he hooked his fingers along the lip of the window. Muscles quivered and shook as Erik tried to push the window up. He gave a glance at the lock on the window just to make sure it wasn’t latched. It wasn’t. The entire thing was taunting him by not budging no matter how hard it felt like he pulled at it. Then Charles’ fingers joined his and it began to shift slowly upwards. “It seems like I am absolutely useless,” Erik grumbled.

“Only when someone is cheating—otherwise you would’ve already been out the window and down on the ground before I could even blink. You’ve always been brilliant, Erik,” Charles commented. Erik didn’t comment, instead he grabbed tightly on to the sill before he picked up the hook. With Charles’ help they anchored it and then let the rope drop.

“We’ve got only one harness,” Erik whispered.

“We’ll put it on you and then I’ll hold on. For now I’m stronger than you and you won’t be able to hold tightly enough if I wear it.” Erik wanted to argue, but there was the tiny fact that Charles was absolutely right that kept him quiet. They were slow to put on the harness, but eventually they managed even with their shaking hands. Erik let out a shaking breath before he leaned back, his back pressed against the edge of the window. Charles had paled, his blue eyes standing stark against his skin.

“Shall we fall?” he asked—his arms spread wide. In response Charles snorted at him.

“I hate this, always felt like I was watching you die when you did this,” he commented.

“Then die with me,” Erik slurred. Charles wrapped his arms tightly around Erik and pressed his face close against his neck.

“Only if it’s with you.”  With that Erik tipped back. Air rushed against his ears, filling his senses with just the sensation of falling and Charles’ arms around his middle. Before they hit the pavement with a splat, the mechanism kicked in with a whine—slowing them almost to a stop—and eventually set them down on the pavement. Erik’s knees buckled the second he tried to put any weight on them, though his vision had become spotty too so he was going to take the fact that he was still breathing as a win before he toppled to the ground only to hear Charles weakly call out for him.

Erik closed his eyes.

 

 

*

When he opened them again he was horizontal in his own bed with a figure nearly glued to his side and another in a chair—one that they would’ve had to drag in. His entire mouth felt dry, as if the saliva was nowhere near enough to coat his throat.

“Whatever it was, that shit was nasty,” Alex spoke up. “When Jean got to the scene, she fucking freaked, but we actually got what you guys were looking for. Finally.”

“How long?”

“A couple days. You and Charles have been our Sleeping Beauties while we tried to figure everything out. Figures you’d end up near dead in something that deals with him,” Alex snorted. He settled on the edge of the bed. “But it’s over. I mean, we at least know why you two were burned.”

“Hmmm.”

“Are you forgiving him?” Erik had to pause, the thought of all that had gone down in the office had changed things—as most things did when people almost died—still there was too much them.

“Am I cleared?”

“What?”

“Am I being tracked?” Erik demanded. His throat ached and he must have sounded like hell as Alex shoved a drink in his hands. The liquid nearly felt like heaven to his throat.

“No. Moira took care of it, and your dad is here too.” The last bit Alex more of mumbled.

“What?”

“Sebastian is the one who brought the antidotes,” Alex explained.

“And I am incredibly impressed that you didn’t kill anyone in the process,” Sebastian spoke up. “Or wind up dead yourself.”

“It’s over,” Erik said instead, ignoring his adoptive parent.

“Yes it is. What are you going to do now, seeing as the love of your life is back,” Sebastian asked. The answer the stuck in the back of Erik’s throat, and clogged the thoughts that went to the ideas he had had when Alex inquired about his forgiveness.

“Stretch my legs a bit.” The body beside him stirred and Raven’s blonde hair came into more of a focus.

“Will you at least keep in contact?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“Good, or else I would hunt your ass down, Lehnsherr,” Moira declared as she strode into the room. “And I thought that might be the way you felt about the whole thing, so I took some initiative. Here’s your passport, Max.” She tossed it to him and when Erik cracked it open he stared at his own glaring face but with the name of Max Eisenhardt. The room fell silent waiting for his reaction.

“Thank you Moira. I believe I should start cancelling my things.”

“Already did it. I pretended I was you wife. Moira Lehnsherr just doesn’t have a good ring to it. Said you were moving out because we’re getting a divorce and to have everything put in my name. I have you moved to a nice little shack on the beach that may or may not get destroyed.”

“I think I’ll keep Erik alive as a backup,” Erik said.

“Also, Charles is getting suspicious. So he’ll be in soon.”

“Good-bye Moira.”

“But not forever.”

“No.”

 

 

*

 

Some wounds heal faster than others, and some still stay gaping open. Charles rubbed at his mouth as he paced back and forth along the sidewalk. Two years. It had been two years of watching his sister take vacations with Moira and them somehow running into Alex Summers. Two years after he’d rushed into Erik’s room demanding what the hell was going on, only to see Erik pack up, and for Erik to say that there was too much past for them to have a present or future.

Charles had let it go. He had given Erik space, not that he’d had a choice. However, after two years of dead silence he couldn’t stand back. Halfway into a café that sold some of Erik’s favorite breakfast items, he stopped himself. If there was any hope for the thing to work. He had to not rely on the past. It would only crop up like ~~a~~ blight on any of his attempts. Charles let out an irritated breath and instead ordered himself a tea and a pastry before he walked back out into the cold.

Erik lived two blocks away.

The walk over felt too short and Charles tried to make up thinking time by standing on the porch and freezing. Erik’s neighborhood was quiet, and Erik probably knew he was there. He was probably standing at the other side of the door waiting for Charles to knock. He stood there another five minutes with the wind prickling at his ears before he brought his knuckles against the wooden door.

It opened immediately.

Erik didn’t frown at him or look any bit upset—Charles took that as a pro—though he didn’t hold much expression if any on his face. Charles cleared his throat.

“Hi. I am taking you not slamming the door in my face yet to be a good sign, so I am going to say this quickly. I love you. Just you. And I am willing to take a step back from any expectations and to just be here with you. I want to start over, fresh. So, can we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all that went on the ride with me. Thank you again to my beautiful artist and all my friends! It has been a lovely ride. 
> 
> I cannot say it enough!


End file.
